Kiwanis Club of Pocatello Donates $2,500 to ISU Physics Dept.’s Outreach Programs

Tuesday, members of the Kiwanis Club of Pocatello, presented a $2,500 check to Steve Shropshire, professor of physics at Idaho State University, and Rene Rodriguez, associate dean of ISU’s College of Science and Engineering, to help support the physics department’s STEM education efforts. The club’s donation will fund science presentations and activities for youth at Idaho schools, libraries, and museums. 

“Kiwanis is dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time, and one step toward improvement rests with education,” said Donald Wyckoff, President of the Kiwanis Club of Pocatello. “Focusing locally on science education helps Idaho children develop their senses and overall awareness and promotes a relationship with their Idaho surroundings through observation. Promoting this situational awareness through education ultimately helps the child to think and communicate clearly and analytically.”

“I greatly appreciate the support of the Kiwanis Club of Pocatello,” said Shropshire. “Their generous donation will support over 15 additional science presentations that will reach over 500 Idaho youth.”

Shropshire is the lead organizer of the physics department’s science demonstration shows for schools and youth organizations. The shows cover five different subjects and allow kids to see, hear, and touch the topics they are learning about in their science classes. According to his tally, Shropshire and his student assistants gave over 100 presentations to more than 9,000 K-12 students in 2022.

“My greatest joy in life is sharing cool stuff with kids and having a positive impact on their life,” Shropshire said, “and nothing is cooler than science.” 

If you’re a teacher or after-school program organizer and would like to book a science demonstration show, contact Steve Shropshire at outreach@isu.edu or (208) 282-2212.  

For more information on ISU’s Department of Physics, visit isu.edu/physics.