Outreach

I'm really passionate about STEM outreach!

In 2020-2021, I was a mentor for the 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures program, which provides mentorship and 21st-century skills development to high school girls from around the world who are interested in STEM. Learn more about the program here.

I was also a mentor with the Gemstone Alumni Mentor & Partner Program (AMPP), which pairs Gemstone Honors Program alumni mentors with current Gemstone student mentees. Read more about AMPP here.

During grad school, I was heavily involved in ENVISION (Engineers Volunteering in STEM Education), a graduate student group dedicated to STEM outreach. I served as President (2018-2019) and as Secretary (2016-2018). As part of ENVISION, I helped plan for events including:

3D-printing pens activity at Beckman Open House (March 2019)
Ice-cream-making activity at King Elementary School Math and Science Night (March 2019)
Microfluidics activities for Kenwood Elementary School students (Nov. 2018)
3D-printed scaffolds 2-day activity at Champaign Public Library (March 2018)
Polymer bouncy ball activity in the refugee center kids’ program (Nov. 2017)
"Hands-on Science: Bubbles and Slime!" event at Champaign Public Library (March 2017)
“Polymer Bouncy Balls” station at the Elmo St. Brady STEM academy (Nov. 2016)

I've volunteered for many other events including:

3D-printing pen activities at Champaign Public Library (March 2019)
Urbana Middle School SPLASH program (Feb. 2019)
iSTEAM Live (April 2018)
Kenwood Elementary School Field Trip (Oct. 2017)

I've also presented my research to kids at:

Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club (March 2017)
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (Feb. 2017)

Learn more about ENVISION here

One of my favorite outreach activities is one that I developed to teach kids about microfluidics. I used plastic sheets (cut from plastic display pockets) and double-sided tape to put together various microfluidic chip designs. We used these chips to teach kids about microfluidics, capillary action, and gravity-driven flow:

3 different microfluidic devices. Left: device with one inlet and one outlet and a very narrow channel to demonstrate capillary action. Center: device with two inlets and one outlet to demonstrate laminar gravity-driven flow with two liquid colors. Right: device with three inlets and one outlet to demonstrate laminar gravity-driven flow with three liquid colors.

Assembly of microfluidic devices. Channel design is outlined using multiple pieces of cut plastic. Double-sided tape is used to bond the channel layers to the top and bottom layers. Holes punched into the top layer allow for liquid to enter and exit the chip.

I was also involved in the Graduate Society of Women Engineers (GradSWE) as a publicity subcommittee member (2017-2018) and as the SWE liaison (2018-2019). As SWE liaison, I taught interested SWE members about graduate school, the graduate school application process, and how to find research positions. I also invited current graduate students to speak in panels about "Applying for Fellowships" and "Contacting Professors for Research Opportunities", as well as to give presentations about their research. Learn more about GradSWE here.

During my undergrad years, I was a social media intern with the USA Science & Engineering Festival and volunteered as a mentor with Girls Excelling in Math & Science.