STEAM Day 2023
Each year Project Brain Light brings students from a local middle school to the University of Delaware for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Day to learn about different scientific fields and research. Project Brain Light, along with other graduate organizations at UD and local outreach organizations, all host an assortment of demonstrations and exhibits that teach various scientific concepts. This year there were twenty exhibits ranging from “Math Magic” to “How to build a Brain and Spinal Cord”.
About 65 middle school students came to UD for STEAM Day
At Project Brain Light booths, students were able to control the opening and closing of a claw using electrodes connected to their arms.
They were also able to control each other’s muscles when connected through electrodes!
The Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research (PSBR) brought in a few organisms that are commonly used in biomedical research for students to view, including fruit flies and microscopic worms.
One of the students’ favorite stations of the day was making their own slime! This booth was organized by a collaboration between the Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI), Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI), Allies for a Culture of Inclusive Diversity (ACID), and Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Project Brain Light members taught students how to extract the DNA from a strawberry using common household items.
The students learned about the structure of DNA by making a model out of twizzlers and gummies.
Fouryouth Productions showed students how to create “Spring in a Bottle”
Volunteers from Women in Engineering taught students about the different kinds of engineers and the jobs available with an engineering degree
When going to tour labs, everyone got to walk through the UD Green and experience campus during a typical school day.
A specialist at the Nanofabrication Facility explains how they help research at UD through developing and fabricating nanotechnology and describes the growing need for scientific careers.
Students got to hear from researchers at the Keck Center for Advanced Microscopy and Microanalysis about the high powered imaging technology available at UD.
