Led by graduate students José Carlos Díaz, Harsh Patel, Corwin Kerr, Syahidah Mohd Khairi, and Yolanda Zhang, Scientist Spotlight events invited visitors of the museum to engage in interactive, inquiry-based activities centered around each activity leader’s area of research.
Five Chemical Engineering graduate students are making waves in science communication through their involvement in the Science Communication Fellows program. The initiative is designed for faculty, post-doctoral and graduate students who want to share their research with the public. Using the NSF-supported Portal to the Public framework, the program trains scientists to engage in face-to-face interactions that promote understanding and appreciation of current scientific research.
Mission and impact
The Science Communication Fellows program offers a series of professional development workshops tailored to help participants build the skills needed to communicate their research effectively to public audiences. These workshops, referred to as “Scientist Spotlights” are hosted at the U-M Museum of Natural History. Fellows develop inquiry-based activities that they later present at community outreach events for K-12 grade students from schools in the local area.
Led by graduate students José Carlos Díaz, Harsh Patel, Corwin Kerr, Syahidah Mohd Khairi, and Yolanda Zhang, Scientist Spotlight events invited visitors of the museum to engage in interactive, inquiry-based tabletop activities centered around each activity leader’s area of research.
Chemical engineers bring a unique perspective to public engagement due to their comprehensive training in multiple disciplines. Their research addresses some of society’s most pressing challenges, such as clean water access, sustainable energy, and advanced material design. By participating in the Science Communication Fellows program, these students are refining their communication skills but also demonstrating the critical role of chemical engineering in solving global issues.
Demonstrating research for public understanding
In one hands-on demonstration, participants learned about the process of water filtration by pressing a syringe filled with blue-dyed water into a small glass cylinder, which was layered with sand and charcoal. By allowing participants to see the filtration process up-close, the activity also gave local children and families valuable insight into the challenges of generating clean water as well as the research being done to address global issues like water scarcity.
“Our tabletop activity was a small demonstration of a big goal: keeping the next generation informed and engaged about ways to make clean water more accessible,” said Harsh Patel, a graduate student in the Kamcev Lab and activity leader. “I was very impressed with attendees’ curiosity and willingness to understand this topic, and it reflected their excitement to be part of the scientific community to tackle these problems in the future.”
Another activity aimed to educate visitors on structural color produced from colloidal crystals. Participants began by observing the structural color in a Morpho butterfly and viewing crystal structures through a microscope to become more familiar with the concept of structural color. Then, to mimic the process of creating a crystal lattice structure, participants were then challenged with the task of arranging spherical beads in a bowl of water without touching them. By completing the challenge, visitors not only earned a deeper understanding of the concepts of crystal self-assembly and structural color, but also gained insight into the intersection between the natural world and engineering concepts.
Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of microfluidic cell separation and photolithography. Participants first created art using UV light-sensitive cyanotype paper to simulate the fabrication of wafer molds for microfluidic devices. Then, in a hands-on activity involving transparent boxes, the participants were asked to physically separate two distinct types of spherical objects, representing the separation of tumor cells from blood samples of cancer patients. While entertaining, the activities also served as a fascinating demonstration of non-invasive methods used in cancer research.
“Designing and walking through the activities for public engagement definitely brought back a lot of the enthusiasm and confidence that I have as a scientist,” said activity leader Yolanda Zhang, a PhD student in the Nagrath Lab. “It’s a very delightful experience of mutual learning to talk with different people from different age groups and hear from their own perspective on the subject.”
While participating in public engagement events, Chemical Engineering students bring to light the vital role of research in creating a sustainable and prosperous future.
“As researchers, we may have delved very deep into a certain scientific discovery,” said Syahidah Khairi, an activity leader and graduate student from the Solomon Lab. “By connecting to the public, we were able to take a step back to understand the significance of our research and explain it in engaging ways to inspire others to create a better world through science and engineering.”
By bringing scientists and public audiences together, the program and fellows promote public appreciation for scientific inquiry and its impact on everyday life. The program also aims to inspire curiosity in science, technology, math and engineering (STEM) fields among young learners in the community.
“My favorite part of hosting these activities was when young children would return before leaving the museum or library, eager to explain to their parents what they had learned,” said José Díaz, an activity leader and graduate student from the Kamcev Lab. “Seeing their excitement and curiosity made me incredibly proud ofthe younger generations and their innate love for science and discovery.”