by Lila Clapp

Students of Palisades High School have heard of clubs such as Link Crew, Vocal Club and Cybersonics, but have students ever heard of the Chief Science Officers? Run by Palisades teacher Mr. Dylan Fedell, the CSOs are a group of four student leaders who “advocate science-based projects in our district and community.”

Image Courtesy of Chiefscienceofficers.org

According to Chiefscienceofficers.org, the program began in 2015 with only 138 CSOs in the entire state of Arizona. Since then, the program has flourished across the globe. Yes, the globe. Not only has it been offered in nine different states, including Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas, but four different countries have adopted this program. Schools in the United States, Kuwait, Kenya, and Mexico celebrate the art and creativity of science. 

Images Courtesy of Mr. Fedell

Brought to Palisades in 2019, the CSOs at Palisades are some of the first in the state. The current leaders of the program are Brynn Chilton, Kaitlyn Carson, Aiden Nokhoudian and Grace Bucich. In 2018, the Chief Science Officers established the STEM Outreach Club, which was set in place to include students in their activities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. At times, the club will even partner with other schools and organizations to disseminate and discuss potential ways to make the world a better place. Some of the notable activities organized by the STEM Outreach Club include the arrangement of STEM Night, where students present different aspects of innovation. STEM Night presentations in the past have included 3D Printing, basic chemical reactions and testing air resistance through paper airplanes. The club meets every other Friday. Any questions can be taken to Mr. Fedell at dfedell@palisadessd.org.

Sources:

https://hs.palisd.org/activities/clubs/s_t_e_m_outreach_club
https://stelar.edc.org/projects/19996/profile/chief-science-officers-strategy-student-awareness-and-industry-engagement
https://chiefscienceofficers.org/