08
December
2014
|
14:05 PM
America/Chicago

UHD Mentors Make Math Fun for Burbank Middle School Students

Burbank MentorsA small group of UHD students are providing a major opportunity by mentoring Burbank Middle School pupils. Known by Burbank mentees as the "Gator BUHDs," these UHD mentors travel together to Burbank Middle School twice each month to mentor individual Burbank students and to provide advanced tutoring for students needing extra academic help.

The program developed from discussions over the summer between Dr. Danette Maldonado, a Burbank Middle School counselor; John Hudson, Director of the Center for Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Myrna Cohen, Associate Dean of the College of Public Service; and Liza Alonzo, former Assistant Dean of Students. The program launched on a small scale in September and recently completed its first term, with plans to resume and expand in January 2015.

The Gator BUHDs teamed up with members of the UHD Powerlifting team recently to bring some excitement to Burbank's annual Math and Science Night. The University's mascot, Ed-U-Gator, brought fun and smiles to the students while powerlifters taught them basic mathematical calculations related to weight training. Students converted body weight from pounds to kilograms, participated in basic lifting exercises, and determined their "scores" using the WILKS formula, which is used in weightlifting competitions to determine the pound-for-pound best lifter across all weight classes.

The UHD mentors hope to increase both the academic competence and confidence of their Burbank mentees, and to instill in Burbank students the importance of developing habits for academic success.

Students who might be interested in participating in the Gator BUHDs program should contact John Hudson.