Cal State Monterey Bay students recently got hands-on experience teaching scientific concepts such as Archimedes’ principle and Newton’s theory of gravity through their application to golf.

The future teachers served as mentors in the Chevron STEM Zone, an interactive exhibit that highlights the scientific side of sports through a variety of hands-on learning stations for youngsters. The idea is that sports can make science more engaging. When the STEM Zone made a stop at the Nature Valley First Tee Open golf tournament at Pebble Beach Sept. 24-27, three dozen CSUMB students worked with 1,300 elementary, middle and high school students over the four days of the tournament. The STEM Zone travels to sporting events throughout the state. At nearly every stop, CSU students from that area are invited to serve as exhibit mentors. Faculty members prepare them to highlight scientific and engineering practices, depending on the sport. A $1 million grant from Chevron has helped to develop the CSU’s teacher training programs for science, technology, engineering and math.