We participate in the 'Project GUTS' homeschool group. Other schools--private, public and charter--participate in this city-wide educational effort for middle schoolers.
The Project GUTS initiative is to teach 7th & 8th graders scientific methodology and some computer-based modeling. At our parent break-out group, we learned that part of the impetus for these groups is to prepare kids for the supercomputing challenges they might undertake in high school.
This quarter the students have been working on epidemiology. They use agent-based computer modeling to show how a virus might spread (or how something else might spread, like a rumor or a wildfire.) About sixty kids were in attendance today at this gathering of the various clubs. Groups presented the results of their work and some of the simulations they had created.
Next quarter, the kids are going to work on modeling 'egress' and 'ingress,' or traffic patterns and emergency planning. There will be a field trip to City Hall included in the planned activities.
