What can you teach middle schoolers about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) using common objects like pieces of fruit and cell phone flashlights? According to grad students Taylor Gray and Christina Wicker, the latest research in molecular engineering.
Gray and Wicker, graduate students at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago, recently presented Junior Science Cafés, half-hour sessions that teach Chicago-area middle schoolers about science and engineering using personal stories and hands-on activities.
The sessions, which this year take place virtually, are the culmination of a two-year science communication program in partnership with the Museum of Science and Industry. Graduate students at PME train in intensive workshops to better understand how to convey their work to a broad audience and how to engage individuals with science and engineering.
