STEM Outreach
I fundamentally believe that scientists have a responsibility to share their research with the broader community and empower the next generation of scientists.
From my first semester at Cornell, I have been involved with STEM outreach through the Society of Women Engineers. Through numerous classroom visits and day-long events for Girl Scouts, I helped share my love of science with middle and high school students from the Ithaca area.
Coming to New Haven, I became involved with the Pathways to Science program administrated by Yale’s Office of New Haven and State Affairs. Alongside other dedicated graduate students, I helped to expand a once-yearly Engineering Day for New Haven middle school students into a vibrant program with events throughout the year for middle and high school students.
Last spring we expanded our outreach efforts beyond the New Haven community and hosted our first state-wide event, CT SEED. I am incredibly proud of the program we have developed and am committed to increasing STEM outreach efforts wherever I land after graduate school.
We make all of our outreach resources available on our website so that anyone, whether an educator or student, can repeat our activities and further develop and spread their love of science.
Developing the SpinWheel
Seeking to expand the reach of our STEM outreach efforts, a group of current and former Yale PhD students designed the SpinWheel (artist rendition to the left). The SpinWheel is a small, programmable, motion-sensing, light-emitting trinket for STEM exploration. The SpinWheel can be worn as jewelry, sported as a keychain, or used for physics experiments.
We successfully launched the SpinWheel through Kickstarter in March 2020, raising over $26,000. All proceeds beyond the cost of manufacturing and shipping the device will fund the outreach efforts of the founders of the SpinWheel.
Each kit will come with a prefabricated board that is loaded with a basic Arduino sketch demonstrating the capabilities of the device. However, the true purpose of the device is for exploring physics and computer science concepts. To that end, we have developed a “field guide” that through short lessons will introduce beginners to the world of physical computing and help them build confidence to customize their own Arduino scripts. More experienced programmers can jump right in, writing their own programs and learning from our more advanced lessons.
If you are interested in using the SpinWheel in your outreach or buying one, then check out our website for more information.