Metro Rocks! is a weekly after-school club at Metro Middle School (located on the western edge of Ohio State's campus) that began in 2018 and is led by graduate students and alumni of SES. Each SES representative creates an interactive activity centered around an area of interest in the geosciences for the Metro students (aged 11-14). The social and ethnic background of the student population is diverse including 42% white (non-Hispanic), 34% black (non-Hispanic), 10% Asian, 7% multiracial, 6% Hispanic, 0.2% American Indian, 34% economically disadvantaged, and 10% special educational needs (2017-18 School Profile). Our goal is to connect science to real-world issues through engaging mini-projects that (i) increase awareness of current problems Ohioans experience, (ii) introduce students to the importance of geoscience research, and (iii) begin to recruit a diverse student body for careers in geoscience.
If you are interested in participating in this program as a volunteer for SES or if you are a K-12 school official interested in a similar collaborative project, contact ses-comms@osu.edu.
Please consider donating to Metro Rocks!
Metro Rocks! Fund in Earth Sciences | Fund Number: 317249 Provides programming and operational support for the Metro Rocks! partnership between Metro Middle School and the School of Earth Sciences. Expenditures are at the discretion of the Director of the School of Earth Sciences or his/her designee.