Angels Camp, CA…Calaveras and Amador County school groups gathered to spend the evening with scientists at the annual Dinner With a Scientist student event. There was a total of 17 schools represented that included 110 students and 32 teachers who interacted with the 27 volunteer scientists. The 20 event volunteers and volunteer scientists were critical to the success of the evening.

This year’s venue was the Mark Twain Hall at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds, offering ample space and a controlled climate, an improvement from the two previous years of the event being held outdoors.

Dinner With a Scientist brings together STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professionals and students, fourth through twelfth grade, in a casual dinner conversation. Students rotated to 4 different scientists throughout the evening, spending 20 minutes at the scientists’ individual stations. Scientists discussed their college and career pathways and provided scientific demonstrations. The evening is intended to expand and inspire young minds in various scientific realms and provide students with an opportunity to explore new ideas. Many areas of science were represented including Applied Behavior, Meteorology, Forensics, Technology, Archaeology, Engineering, Health Care, Veterinary Medicine, Biology, Waste and Wastewater Management, Tribology, Horticulture, and Chemistry.

Students and teachers remained attentive during the keynote speech by guest scientist Kimberly Wooten, Historical Archaeologist with Caltrans. Ms. Wooten wowed the crowd with pictures and stories from her round-the world research sailing voyage that focused on single-use plastics in our oceans, where she applied archaeological methods to help understand behaviors of refuse in the world’s oceans.

Calaveras county student events are provided through the Calaveras County Office of Education (CCOE) and depend on community donations and sponsorships. The 2023-24 student event sponsors include Calaveras Community Foundation, Dignity Health Mark Twain Medical Center, Adventist Health Sonora, Bank of Stockton, and Middletons. Angels-Murphys Rotary donated money to the event and provided volunteers to help with dinner service. Murphys Historic Hotel catered the event and donated their time. The food was generously donated by a local food vendor, Save Mart in Angels Camp donated the seltzer water, and the Calaveras County Fairgrounds provided the facility at a discounted rate.

In addition to sponsorships and donations, volunteers help make student events successful. Bret Harte Leadership students helped set up the venue the day before the event. Board of Education member Janet Jones Sterling also volunteered. Several CCOE employees helped with set up and event-day operations and helped with food service. A big Thank You goes out to all the teachers and STEM professionals who dedicated their evening to the event. “Each year this event inspires so many students, it’s truly amazing to witness,” said Communications and Student Event Coordinator Debbie Strand.

For more information about CCOE county-wide student events, visit www.ccoe.k12.ca.us/studentevents/

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