4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) is the world’s largest youth-led science experiment. Every year thousands of youth take part in the National Science Challenge focusing on important STEM topics and issues.

Kentucky 4-H believes that all youth should have opportunities for positive youth development in our four guiding concepts:  mastery, belonging, independence, and generosity.  This project fosters mastery by encouraging youth to learn more about scientific experimentation and engineering design through hands-on challenges each year; Belonging by encouraging youth to work with a group with similar interests and an experienced and caring adult to learn about opportunities and careers related a variety of STEM related fields;  Independence by practicing the skills learned to solve real world problems on new and different topics each year; Generosity by using the skills they have developed to lead other youth and adults in experimentation and experimental design.

The 2017 4-H National Youth Science Day challenge was Incredible Wearables. The challenge was developed by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. The Incredible Wearables challenge was a fun way for kids to build wearable fitness trackers.

According to the introduction to the project from the facilitators guide:

The 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) aims to bring youth together from around the world in an exciting, interactive learning experience that engages them in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The event brings together young people, volunteers and educators from the nation’s 110 land-grant colleges and universities to simultaneously complete the National Science Challenge.

This year’s exciting theme for NYSD is Incredible Wearables.

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As described in the challenge portion of the guide:

In this 2017 National Youth Science Day challenge, youth will design and build their own low-cost wearable health monitor following the engineering design process. {…}

 The challenge will touch on three important topics: engineering design, especially optimization of the design solution whereby solutions are systematically tested and refined (NGSS, 2013), wearable technologies, and health monitoring.

The problem that participants will attempt to solve is that youth and adults are not staying active enough to lead healthy lives. To help solve this problem, youth will learn to build a prototype fitness tracking device that could ultimately be marketed and sold to consumers to positively affect fitness behaviors. For this challenge, the central engineering problem is to:‘Design a functional wearable device that can record multiple biological signals such that the data can be used to make informed decisions about the wearer’s health.’

In order to meet the objectives of the challenge, participants must:

1. Learn to follow the engineering design process such that they are able to create new technology; and

2. Learn enough about fitness and health data such that they can design, test and utilize a functional product. 

In Nelson County, 555 youth participated in the 4-H NYSD project. The program was presented in conjunction with 4-H school enrichment programs in 22 classrooms. Youth participating were in the fourth and fifth grades. Danielle Hagler, Nelson County Cooperative Extension agent for 4-H Youth Development, presented the program. She was assisted by a Nelson County 4-H teen 4-Her who was a member of the Kentucky 4-H science Engineering and Technology Board.  

310 of those participating took part in a post evaluation. As a result of taking part in the 2017 4-H NYSD project, 175 of those participants indicated that they could build a fitness tracker and an additional 127 indicated that they could with help.  61% indicated that they understood how they could track their activity and improve health using technology. 65% indicated with confidence that they have a better understanding of fitness trackers operate and provide data for use.

Understanding how to track certain health indicators without technology was also a part of the project. Students learned how to determine pulse points and calculate their resting heart rate. 214 youth indicated that as a result of the NYSD project, they could determine pulse points on their body and 72% could calculate their resting heart rate.

67% of the youth completing the evaluation indicated that as a result of the 4-H NYSD project, they understood how important it is to collect and record data and 63% indicated that they can use the engineering design process to solve problem and create solutions.