Posted on June 7, 2004 at 3:07 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Miss UAB 2004 Lindsey Elmore, a senior majoring in chemistry, has developed a booklet of inquiry-based science experiments to help teachers of third through fifth grades demonstrate science to students. The program is “Plant Seeds for Science Understanding/Promoting Experiments in Every Classroom.” The pillar of the program is “SEEDS”: “Start questioning, Experiment, Explain, Decide, Spark Interest.”

Elmore’s program has gained the support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and The American Chemical Society to bring the program to inner-city and rural schools in the state and hopefully the nation.

In her program, Elmore offers workshops to train teachers, a booklet of experiments and free science understanding kits that include magnets, balloons, rubber balls, candles, string, vinegar, batteries and other items to conduct about 40 experiments. Elmore has demonstrated the program to teachers and students at Hueytown Elementary and Berry Middle schools, Jefferson County’s Head Start program, teachers at Westwood Christian School, principals of Shelby County schools, homeschool teachers and to children in the “Learning to be a Kid” program at Pathways Transitional Shelter.

Elmore is a Hess-Abroms Scholar in the University Honors Program and works with former NASA astronaut Lawrence DeLucas, Ph.D., in the Nanocrystallization Lab in the UAB Center for Biophysical Science and Engineering. Elmore will be part of a UAB team that sends protein crystal experiments on a NASA mission to the International Space Station in 2005.

Elmore represents UAB this week in the Miss Alabama 2004 pageant, June 7-12.