Media Minute – Science

During the recent Elementary Science Fair, students demonstrated projects about motion, sound, energy, plant-life, robotics, and chemistry. They were asked what inspired their specific topics:

Jackson, who experimented with sound amplification, didn’t hesitate, “Makerspace. I go every Wednesday and Thursday.” 

Lucky, who designed a solar oven and used it to make s’mores, explained, “I decided to do some research before I even decided on starting this project. So it all came down to the inspiration of solar electricity, and then you can cook this and we wouldn’t have to worry about if there’s a power outage and there’s no gas, you cannot cook without a solar oven.”

Elliot, who mummified a hotdog, saying she did so by using baking soda to suck out its moisture, smiled as she revealed, “I was a mummy last Halloween!”

Blair shared, “We did it in a whole group, Jonah, Denaly, and me.” Myra, her teaching assistant elaborated, “We picked what kind of scientist we wanted to be. Jonah picked archeologist, Denali picked botanist, why did you choose to be a chemist?” Blair expressed, “Because I wanted to make some chemicals, which is called a scientist, they study a lot!”

This Media Minute will feature how TSBVI supports science education through motivating, hands-on curriculum, visiting community science centers, building relationships with mentors in STEM fields, and offering state and national training for professionals and families.

Science is a core academic subject area and TSBVI Comprehensive Programs provides students with motivating and accessible instruction in the full array of scientific topics. Students take health science education, where they learn about physical health and hygiene, mental health and wellness, healthy eating and physical activity, injury and violence prevention and safety, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, and reproductive and sexual health. TSBVI offers computer science courses in High School for students who are interested in pursuing this area of study. Students in Elementary, Middle, and High School choose their own projects for science experiments. TSBVI Life Science Instructor and TVI, Laura Hospitál, says “the essential piece is that the students choose their own project – even if that means taking several weeks to design that. When students get to pick a project of their choice on what they’re going to study, it’s inherently motivating.”  Mrs. Hospitál and Alan Roth recently recorded a Coffee Hour on demonstrating how to adapt science for students who are blind and visually impaired, and they provided a resource document. They highly recommend visiting the Perkins School for the Blind comprehensive website for science education. The TSBVI Makerspace provides students with critical opportunities for hands-on learning where they get real-world experience producing prototypes and physical products. Check out the Media Minute on our Makerspace!

TSBVI students learn about science by going on location and talking with mentors and professionals in science fields. Comprehensive Instructional and Residential, and Short Term and Summer Programs students visit the Austin Nature and Science Center and take part in environmental science community service in area parks. Students in the Short Term Programs class “Chemistry: In Your Element” visited an accessible chemistry lab at Baylor University. EmmaGrace, who attended “In Your Element,” wrote an article for TX SenseAbilities about her experience (Spanish version)!  TSBVI students also engage in STEM competitions. Three Comprehensive Programs High School students participated as “The TSBVI Makers” in the Make48 competition at the Kansas School for the Blind in April 2024. Teams came from schools for the blind nationwide to compete in a multi-state challenge to create a working product prototype along with a marketing plan in only 48 hours. The TSBVI Makers designed and produced accessible climbing wall rocks with adaptive hand and foot holds that blink and buzz when a climber’s hand or foot is within six inches of the rock. They were awarded a $500 prize for their efforts!, Mrs. Hospitál arranges on-campus guests and remote correspondence with scientists from multiple disciplines: oceanographers, chemists, and astronomers. TSBVI students attend Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students (SCIVIS) yearly. Sophia, who attended in the fall of 2024 provided the following endorsement, “Space Camp was cool! I highly recommend it!”  Read more about Space Camp in the Spring 2024 issue of the TSBVI magazine, TX SenseAbilities. 

TSBVI staff across departments – Short Term, Comprehensive, Outreach, and Curriculum, conduct trainings on STEM at major conferences in Texas and around the nation. Several TSBVI staff presented at the 8th Biennial Principals of Schools for the Blind (POSB) STEM Institute for Instruction in California. This conference, which began in 2011 and is held in different states every two years, builds community and a support system among professionals, giving them access to others for guidance and support, and focuses on STEM to inspire teachers and provide them with tools to improve their instructional practices.  TSBVI Instructor Christina Cortes is a part of the Globe Weather collaboration. She and a cohort of educators are receiving training in an approach to provide middle school educators with the experiences, tools and abilities to adapt geoscience curricular resources to meet the needs of students with disabilities and articulate career pathways and opportunities in STEM for them. Accessible environments for STEM is also a topic on the TSBVI Sense of Texas podcast. 

Many on campus gathered for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Campus departments and partner organizations worked together to create an accessible experience using LightSound boxes that students and staff helped assemble. We projected the eclipse streams on large screens, and used a telescope with a solar filter and a camera attached to send the images to computers. which were sent to 4 different 46 inch monitors. Listen to the Sense of Texas podcast on the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse to celebrate this highlight of last year, as also featured on CBS National News! We have a special relationship with Dell Medical School Ophthalmology and medical students have served as volunteers in our science classes since 2018! Mrs. Hospitál says the Dell students serve as mentors, and the students appreciate that they are not paid staff, but are devoting their personal time to be with them. Pete Rochat, a long-time volunteer in the science lab, won the 2025 TAER Julia L. Young Award, presented to an individual who has done outstanding work with children who are visually impaired in Texas! This University of Texas article details more about our special connection.