Kiwanis Club of Pocatello donates $3,000 to ISU physics outreach programs
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A local organization is again lending its support to STEM education in the Gem State.
Recently, members of the Kiwanis Club of Pocatello presented a $3,000 check to Steve Shropshire, professor of physics at Idaho State University, to help support the physics department’s STEM education efforts. The club’s gift helps fund science presentations and activities for youth at Idaho libraries, schools, museums, and more. In 2023, the group donated $2,500.
“STEM education is vitally important to keep the United States at the forefront of all endeavors involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and advances in the STEM fields are essential to the betterment of humanity," Kiwanis Club of Pocatello president Carl Stocker said.
In addition to the $3,000 from the club, Past President Don Wyckoff personally chipped in $1,100. Don’s recent gift helped to fund the purchase of materials for the Haunted Science Laboratory in October and offset other outreach program expenses.
“The mission of Kiwanis is to bring people together and provide positive change for children,” Wyckoff said. “It’s truly heartwarming to see kids and their families engage with the science demonstrations, ask questions, learn, and have fun.”
“I greatly appreciate the support of the Kiwanis Club of Pocatello,” Shropshire said. “These funds help provide science and engineering activities and experiences for K-12 students in our community, such as the Haunted Science Laboratory, which hosted over 2,000 visitors this past October. In addition to their financial support, Kiwanis members have volunteered hundreds of hours for the Haunted Science Lab, Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad and other programs. Without their support many of these events would not be possible.”
Annually, Shropshire holds more than 100 science education events for schools and youth organizations. The events cover all aspects of physical science, ranging from building water rockets and catapults to coding, modeling and more, allowing thousands of youth to see, hear and touch the topics they are learning about in their science classes each year.
