Miami-Dade Public Schools will be visited some science stars, as part of the ramp up to the opening of the new Miami Science Museum, which just broke ground last month.
The first visit was from Damian Stanziano, an exercise physiologist from the University of Miami.
Stanziano is used to lecturning students at UM, but Tuesday, his lecture hall was replaced with an classroom at Tropical Elementary School in Southwest Miami Dade. His audience: two fifth grade classes.
Ten-year-old Brione Sanchez, who dreams of being a doctor herself, listened attentively to Stanziano's presentation, but told NBC 6 she wants to focus here specialty beyond the body.
"It's caught my attention, and it just interests me about how the mind works," said Sanchez.
Part of the Science Stars visits is to get students excited about the new Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science being built near the AmericanAirlines Arena. It's set to feature an expansive shark tank, a planetarium, and a working model of the human body.
Compared to their peers worldwide, American students are lagging behind in science. This is one reason why Stanziano said he hoped his visit inspires a whole new generation of South Florida science stars.
"There's no reason we shouldn't have younger science stars, we're trying to pass on this science stardom to them, and there's no reason they shouldn't be big stars as well," Stanziano said.
