During times of economic and financial hardship, state funding for public schools is often one of the first areas to experience painful budget cuts. Oregon has been hit particularly hard, where significantly reduced funding for education has resulted in state-mandated furlough days at primary and secondary schools. The decreased classroom time, when paired with the increased emphasis on standardized testing, has been especially damaging to hands-on science education. Specifically, laboratory-based science experimentation in the classroom has been significantly reduced because of the high associated costs and in-class time requirements. In response, chemistry faculty and graduate students at the University of Oregon have designed a science outreach program in conjunction with a local middle school. Formally named �Furlough Fridays� and affectionately dubbed �Mad Duck Science Fridays� by middle school participants, the program is aimed at providing a unique laboratory-based learning opportunity for students on weekdays in which they would otherwise be left at home. Complementing financial support from the Dreyfus Foundation, departmental and community supporters have donated lunches, bus passes, and materials to bring students from Hamlin Middle School, one of the most diverse and under-represented schools in the area, to the University's science complex. We have developed ten different self-contained, interactive teaching modules ranging from �The Chemistry of Color� and �Acid-Base Chemistry� to �The Science of Microscopy� and �Solar Powered Cars.� In 2012-2013, the program's second year, over 160 middle school students participated in Furlough Fridays, and written feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Over 80% reported that �I felt like a scientist today.� Our goal over the next five years is to expand the program by developing new labs, refining the current labs, and increasing our student visits by fifty students each year.

Making a splash with �Mad Duck� science outreach at the University of Oregon

248th National Meeting (2014)

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