Freddy the Science Fly
SCIENCE FOR KIDS
EAGR Lab Outreach Program
Freddy's Mission
To bring STEM education to all of Freddy’s friends! Big or small, fly or human, everyone can get involved. That means you!
Described by Oxford Languages as the “study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world,” science requires one thing… the ability to observe! Look around you: What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? What do you feel? By answering these questions, you are doing science!
To research something is to take your science skills a step further. We can research anything! Why do bananas turn brown? Why is the sky blue? Why does one scoop of ice cream never feel like enough? We can research any of these questions with what we call the scientific method. The method has six easy steps: 1. Make an observation, 2. Ask a question, 3. Form a hypothesis, 4 Make a prediction, 5. Test the prediction and 6. Evaluate your results and ask more questions. Now you’re a scientist!
Scientific Name: Drosophila melanogaster
When a research question cannot be directly tested in humans, scientists use model organisms instead. Model organisms include fruit flies, worms, yeasts, mice, and even monkeys. Model organisms have many similarities to humans, and therefore, results from studies with model organisms can teach us about human biology. The fruit fly model is commonly used in genetics research labs because humans and fruit flies share the majority of the same disease genes.
Anybody can become a scientist and a researcher. Freddy’s mission, and our mission, is to help increase diversity and inclusivity in STEM by bringing hands-on science experiences to children in our communities.
