Science & Math Education in ACTION

Science or Mathematics Practicum Project in a Business or Industry

Second year students in the ACTION program complete a practicum experience (short-term internship) in a company or agency. This experience in the workplace will enhance their ability to answer questions from future students such as, “Why do I need to learn this?” or “How will this be important in my future job?”

BGSU has an excellent education program and is highly ranked for its preparation of teachers. However, this on-the-job experience is something that even most other BGSU teacher candidates will not be exposed to. This will enable ACTION students to keep a step ahead of their peers.

Approximately 20 hours of practicum experience is required and can be completed during the summer, fall, or spring terms of the sophomore year. ACTION scholars also participate in a virtual classroom, submit project and reflection papers, and give an oral presentation to the other ACTION students so others can also benefit from their experience.

Some of the past companies and projects included:

• Wood County Health Department – Analysis of the frequency of food safety violations from 2005 to 2010 for one category of food operations.
• Environmental Water Engineering Company – Testing of water samples for different levels of microorganisms before and after chemicals are added to the water system.
• City of Toledo Engineering Department – Tracking and analyzing trends in water main breaks that would help the city wisely spend their set aside funds for water main fixing.  
• Wood County Solid Waste Department – Analysis of how much recycling is saved in metric tons of Carbon Dioxide CO2 emissions during past year.
• Owens-Illinois -- Analysis of forecast accuracy to compare the company’s forecasting on how many tonnes of glass they would sell per month.
• Conagra – Data collection to measure the efficiency and capability (accuracy) of Slim Jim stuffer machines.
• US Geological Survey – Water quality analysis on Grand Lake Saint Mary including collecting samples, performing bacteria and turbidity tests, entering data, and comparing measurements to create predictions.