We are excited to share that our first round of piloting XplorStem Academy was a success! Students at SDUSD, University City High School and Logan Memorial Learning Center, worked hard on a week-long biotechnology course that taught them everything about enzymes, digestion, and nutrition.
XplorStem Academy is designed to explain complex scientific concepts through short-format “TikTok-style” videos. The response was overwhelmingly positive with students stating, “I would have never learned this by reading a textbook.”
Included in the course is a hands-on three-day experiment, where students isolate the digestive enzyme trypsin from freeze-dried cow pancreas. The process required multiple centrifugation steps using XplorStem’s patent pending Centrimaster centrifuge. At the end, students watch their enzyme digest the protein casein, which is found in milk!
Statistics gathered from the classes show that 56% of students are fluent in Spanish. While 30% of California students show a basic level of understanding of science, only 2% of English Language Learners achieve this level of understanding. At XplorStem LLC, our mission is to create a diverse and inclusive learning environment that fosters excitement for STEM education. Working through our World Design Capital 2024 partnership, we have translated our program into Spanish and the bilingual version will be available for the next round of piloting.
Our National Science Foundation funded XplorStem Academy program is appropriate for public, private and homeschools. If you are interested in piloting our program, please contact us at questions@xplorstem.com