The purpose was to connect small groups of upper-level high school students to corporate and university labs, according to SESP visiting scholar Kimberli Macpherson, who organized the event. The day, which featured lab tours and experiments, began with a panel discussion and question-and-answer session with industry representatives.
“The motivating reason for this event is to bridge gaps in students' expectations and understanding of the progression from studying the sciences in high school, through options in college, and on to potential careers in the sciences,” says Macpherson.
To this end, Mark Vondracek, a physics teacher at Evanston High School, and 25 of his top performing students toured Northwestern science labs and participated in hands-on experiences with the researchers. In addition, they learned from five corporate representatives, including Northwestern alumni, who introduced students to careers by sharing their own experiences as students and professionals in the sciences.
The students visited five labs in McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. With the MatSci Club, focusing on nanomaterials and polymers, students were able to see how to make carbon layers a single atom thick, synthesize nanoparticles and observe how a polymer changes its properties with differing states. At the Intelligent Information Laboratory, students learned how scientists construct systems to connect users with information relevant to the specific moment and task at hand.
At Central Laboratory for Material Mechanical Properties the students used machines for conducting experiments on solid materials. They also visited Dunand Research Group, which focuses on metallic alloys, composites and foams, especially measuring and modeling their mechanical properties. Finally, they saw how the Messersmith Research Group develops new biomaterials to repair or replace human tissue.
Industry representatives who participated in the panel discussion were D.G. Macpherson of W.W. Grainger, Jessie “Chuy” Chavez of Google, Karthik Srivathsa of Rauland-Borg, and Northwestern alumni LaTanya Schwalk of UL and Joaquin Martinez of Abbott Laboratories. These professionals shared their experiences in science careers.
The Office of STEM Education Partnerships (OSEP), directed by SESP research associate professor Kemi Jona, seeks to connect K–12 students and teachers with the world-class science, technology, engineering and mathematics resources of Northwestern Unversity.
“OSEP's participation in the National Lab Day inspired the development of Northwestern University Lab Day. We hope this is only the first of many events like this for schools in our community,” says Macpherson.