Outreach Opportunities
Science Demonstration Booth Volunteer
Jr. Mad Scientist fall festival event, Auburn University Graduate Women in Science (2016, 2017, 2018 )
Jr. Mad Scientist is an event hosted in the fall to invite the Auburn and Opelika community to engage with hands-on activities within the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In 2016, I hosted an interactive booth to discuss with kids and their families how our immune system attacks intruders that make us sick. In 2017 and 2018, I participated in the oobleck booth where we have a lot of fun demonstrating the characteristics of non-Newtonian fluids to kids and their families. I love participating in this event because it is so fun to talk to kids and their parents about how we can see science in action all around us. I love sharing my awe of the world around us to others in the community.
Science Fair Judge (Middle School)
Greater East Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair (2018 & 2020)
Eufaula City Schools District Science Fair (2018)
Volunteering as a science fair judge is one of my favorite ways to participate in outreach. I love the opportunity to talk with each aspiring scientist one-on-one to discuss their experimental design, hypotheses, experiences in troubleshooting, and their plans for their next experiment. My personal goal is to ensure that despite the grade awarded to the student, that they walk away from the day encouraged and excited to continue their investigations. I believe encouraging younger scientists is perhaps one of the most important responsibilities of a scientist.
Guest Instructor for Science Demonstration Unit
Eufaula City School District S.T.E.A.M Day at Admiral Moorer Middle School, Eufaula, Alabama (2017, 2018)
S.T.E.A.M day, hosted at Admiral Moorer Middle School, is a half-day event where middle school students and their parents are exposed to the excitement and application of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics through fun and engaging activities.
In 2017, I lead 3 sections of “Fun with Enzymes” where attendees were taught about enzymes and antioxidants, monitored a colorimetric reaction catalyzed by an enzyme, and recorded their findings to analyze their results.In 2018, I lead 2 sections of “Viruses, Vaccines, and Your Immunity” where attendees were encouraged to fold their own paper virus, learn about 3 key immune cell types, and play a game demonstrating the concept of herd immunity.
Leading STEAM Day activities was challenging because the hope is to engage both the students and their parents. I learned a lot from my first STEAM Day experience, and strived to make the topic that I was teaching more accessible to my audience for my second STEAM Day activity. I was encouraged to see that both students and parents were enjoying the activities and engaged in learning about "Viruses, Vaccines, and Your Immunity"!
Guest Lecturer
7th and 8th grade science classes at Admiral Moorer Middle School, Eufaula, Alabama (Mar. 2017)
The main purpose of my visit was to share with the 7th and 8th grade students what a scientist does and how you can become a scientist. The hope was to provide exposure to the opportunities awaiting them should they pursue such a field in the future.
For the first day of my visit, I lead a lecture and interactive activity on amino acids, protein sequences, protein structure and function. Each student played the role of an amino acid as the class had to rearrange and form the peptide displayed on the board.
On the second day, I lectured on enzyme function and, in general, the role of enzymes within our body. I then lead a group experiment that communicated the biochemical role that antioxidants play within our body.
I enjoyed getting to teach the 7th and 8th grade students about amino acids, codons, and protein sequences as a part of their curriculum. This experience helped me practice clear communication of science to an unexperienced audience, which can be a valuable skill. The best part about this event was getting to answer the students' questions about what a scientist does and how I became interested in science.
Chemistry Lab Lecturer and Tutor for Plainview Area Home School Group
Wayland Baptist University Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (Jan. - May 2013)
The WBU student chapter of the American Chemical Society offered to provide a lab course for local home-school students in order to provide them with practical lab experience that would otherwise not be available to them.
I, along with other students, provided pre-lab lectures, in-lab assistance, and tutoring for these home-school students every week for a semester.
This experience in college, along with many other hour tutoring general chemistry students, prepared me for the role as a teaching assistant in graduate school. During this semester, I began to develop a love for hands-on instruction with students at the lab bench.