DETROIT – A Detroit group is thinking outside the box to help children improve their education.
Ecotek focuses on helping children excel in the sciences and technology.
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"Our students are the backbone of our laboratory. You need to have scientists in your lab, regardless if they are 10 years old or 20 years old, they should have the passion for research, they should have the passion for learning," said Keith Young, the founder and executive director of Ecotek.
Young said he believes children are challenged and motivated with a hands-on approach. Ecotek stresses science and technology to children so they can develop technology of the future.
Ecotek provides academically gifted students in middle and high school with the chance to take part in international research projects. The goal is to prepare the students for college-level opportunities down the road.
"Is this possible for a 12-year-old? Is this possible for a 10-year-old? Should a 13-year-old be able to make bio-diesel? Yes, they can, but you have to provide them with the opportunity which is what BMW has done for us, and you also have to provide them with the opportunity to pursue those learning opportunites" said Young.
The students study alternative energies such as bio-fuel, environment conservation, food security and healthcare.
"The more you learn when you are young, the easier it will be the rest of your life," said the owner of Bavarian BMW, Eitel Dahm, to a group of Ecotek students.
Dahm, along with the BMW group of Detroit was so impressed with Ecotek, they, along with other BMW dealerships, are donating $160,000 to the nonprofit science research organization.
Students who benefit from the program are between 10 and 17 years old. Some of them shared what they are studying at Ecotek.
"I wanted to see how short-term memory decreases with age, and so I focused on the part of the brain called the hippocampus," said student scientist Amber Young.
"I'm experimenting in environmental science, and this is a water waste treatment plant," said student scientist Chandler Harris.
"I can compare from what I read in books, so I know, OK this is what I observed and this is what the person who wrote this book observed, so I can compare my information and get the true facts," said student scientist Jeff Hampton.
The kids aren't just experimenting locally, Ecotek students have traveled to South Africa to participate in an international conference for young scientists. Students have also visited the United Nations and talked with world leaders.
If you're interested in enrolling your child in the Ecotek program: Ecotek Science At Work