UCSB Kids Build Rollercoasters to Learn Real Science

Ander Chambers pointed proudly at the twisting marble track he'd built across a classroom wall at UC Santa Barbara. The seventh grader had just spent his Friday morning turning painter's tape, pool noodles, and creative thinking into a working rollercoaster.

He's one of dozens of kids participating in SciTrek, a summer program that's been turning elementary and middle schoolers into independent thinkers for 15 years. The program recently received a major boost with nearly $1 million in funding secured by Rep. Salud Carbajal, a UCSB graduate himself.

The approach is refreshingly simple. Kids learn about concepts like friction and height, then design their own experiments to test their ideas. They create hypotheses, build prototypes, and collect data on their own terms.

"We do want them to learn the science," said Kim Ciancio, the program's academic coordinator. "But what we really want to do is create thinkers."

During Friday's session, student teams took over the classroom with rollercoasters named "The five second ride of chaos" and "Tons of tape." They propped tracks on tables, chairs, and cabinets while seven UCSB volunteers circulated nearby, mostly staying hands off.

That independence is the point. Alexander Harris, a volunteer for three years and aspiring math teacher, said the kids learn that not having immediate answers is okay. The real skill is figuring out how to find those answers.

The program covers physics, biology, conservation of mass, fermentation, and cellular respiration across different weekly sessions. Each module follows the same pattern: learn a concept, ask questions, experiment, and discover.

The Ripple Effect

Harris said working with SciTrek confirmed his dream of becoming a teacher. The hands on nature of the program gives volunteers real classroom experience while showing kids that science can actually be fun.

For students like Edelle Cardenas, the program is opening new doors. She said the idea of building things firsthand sounds exciting and got her thinking about exploring physics in the future.

The program partners with UCSB's Department of Recreation summer camp, making advanced scientific thinking accessible to kids who might not otherwise spend time on a university campus. It's proof that when you give young people the tools and step back, they'll build something amazing.