NO Horsing AROUND O
YOUTH LEARN STEM THROUGH EQUINE WORKSHOP
n a chilly morning in November, 40 high school students came together eager to learn about their favorite animal — the horse. What they did not know was they also would learn about STEM disciplines through the Oklahoma State University Horse Science Academy. Kris Hiney, OSU Extension’s equine specialist, founded the youth academy seven years ago to share her passion for horses and for science, technology, engineering and math, she said. “I was never a person who just liked the riding part,” Hiney said. “I really appreciated the horse as a unique animal and its physiology.” During Hiney’s 12 years as a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, she liked getting her students interested in science through unique and elaborate lab opportunities, she said. When she moved to OSU in 2014 she realized she missed teaching students, Hiney said.
30 WINTER/SPRING 2022
“I have a passion for doing all these cool things and no way to do them,” Hiney said. “So, why not offer this chance to high school students?” Horse Science Academy was created to educate high school students with an interest in horses about science and math, she said. Hiney took what she did at UWRF and modified the curriculum to be applicable for high school students, she said. “They say when you know something well enough, you should be able to teach it, and that is what Dr. Hiney is doing with this event,” said Mandy Brace, veterinary medicine student and former undergraduate volunteer for the 2019 Horse Science Academy. “It’s a lot of deep information, but Dr. Hiney is really gifted at taking something that is in-depth and condensing it into understandable chunks.” Hiney said she structured the academy to have a four-year topic rotation. The benefit to having a four-year rotation is the youth can participate every
