Georgia Tech professor leads Mountain Park Elementary science lab

At Mountain Park Elementary School in Roswell, the children are excited about science — really excited. Their school is one of only two elementary schools in north Fulton with a dedicated science lab. The lab is run by award-winning Georgia Tech faculty member, principal research scientist, and MPE parent Michael Knotts. With the help of parent volunteers, Knotts allows students to join in a science discovery on a scientific concept rather than reading about it in a book. “I thought there was something missing in the way science is usually taught, and that bothered me,“ Knotts said. “We often teach facts and call that science, but science is not just a collection of facts. It is a method of asking questions, conducting analysis and solving problems.” The program at Mountain Park started out as “Science on a Cart,” a group of six carts complete with everything needed for experiments for first through third graders. Learn more: www.mpes.org.