Katherine Davis
Northern Oklahoma CollegeKatherine (Katie) Davis is a sophomore Biology/Zoology major at Northern Oklahoma College. Katie shares her passion for science with students of all ages. Katie is president of the science club and develops age-appropriate science experiments for local elementary school students. She leads science club members in presentations which bring science to life by creating gummy bear explosions and gauging surface tension using milk and food coloring. Last fall, Katie completed a veterinary medicine internship. During her internship, the local FFA teacher contacted her supervising veterinarian and asked that they perform a cosmetic dehorning on two kid goats that are show animals. Katie assisted in the dehorning process and donated her time to the student owners, the teacher, and the school system. NOC considers Katie an asset inside and outside of the classroom. Katie tutors in our science lab, volunteers as a faculty assistant advancing scientific research, and prepares the media for microbiology labs and assists during lab procedures. Outside of the classroom, Katie is president of the President's Leadership Council and leads many community service activities. Katie uses her passion for science and volunteerism to support educational and humanitarian efforts in our community.
Personal Statement
As a college freshman, I discovered a love of sharing science with my community. Along with my instructor, Mr. Harmon, and another student, I began demonstrating and walking Tonkawa Elementary School students through experiments suited to their grade level. After that, I became a science department tutor at Northern Oklahoma College in Biology, Chemistry I and II, Physics I, and Anatomy. It is amazing to help my fellow students grasp difficult concepts and rewarding to know I helped them further their understanding.
During my sophomore year, I was instrumental in kickstarting the NOC Science Club. We participated in an ACS Program-In-a-Box, where we communicated virtually with hundreds of other college students around the country to talk about our future career opportunities in the scientific world. As President of the Science Club, I developed science experiments for club members to demonstrate to the elementary school students. It is a unique challenge to organize an entire group of college students to teach at the elementary as opposed to only three people last year, but it is worth it to see the joy on the children's faces as they grasp a new concept in a very personalized way.
