Scientists from the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History Science Communication Fellows program visited the Ypsilanti District Library March 21 for an installment of Scientist Spotlight, a series of events dedicated to presenting research on a range of topics from diabetes to star surfaces. Free to the public, each scientist hosted a station featuring hands-on activities, aiming to make their complex research topics accessible to young scientists.
Assistant mathematics professor Jenny Wilson, a science communication fellow, shared her research on topology, the mathematical study of properties preserved through stretches or bends. To visualize these ideas, her table included interactive Möbius strips — strips of paper joined at the ends with one or two 180-degree twists — to symbolize how topologists study connections and reveal hidden structures.
“I usually study shapes that are, really large, very high-dimensional shapes,” Wilson said. “These are not shapes that we can actually see in the three-dimensional world, but nonetheless, a lot of the properties of these shapes I use to study them. Like the features that we’re studying, you can see sort of simple pieces of, even in two-dimensional surfaces, like Mobius bands.”
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Wilson emphasized the importance of using hands-on activities to make complex topics more engaging, especially for younger audiences.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to teach some science or mathematics to the public,” Wilson said. “We can persuade members of the public that this material is actually really fun and actually really accessible. Doing science or doing mathematics can be fun, interesting, curiosity-driven and engaging.”
At another station, Izabella Craciun, a U-M research intern who received the UMMNH science communication training, gave a demonstration on cellular membranes’ selective permeability, which allows some matter to pass through but not others. Craciun used sieves to represent the membranes, through which attendees poured bottles of sand and bird seed to observe how smaller particles passed through while larger ones were filtered out.
Craciun told The Daily simple activities like this can be an enjoyable learning experience for children interested in science.
“Just having that concept boiled down, it just shows them these really cool things that happen,” Craciun said. “I love seeing their faces light up and everything — they’re just having fun. They’re always pouring sand in something, or they’re pouring one bag into another and there’s a big mess. But it makes them so happy, and seeing them interested in these concepts is what makes me so happy.”
Rackham student Belle Henry-Kanarek, who studies immunology and does diabetes research, showcased how the human body processes energy from food. Using a microscope, attendees could examine slides of the pancreas cells, including islets that contain insulin-producing beta cells. In an interview with The Daily, Henry-Kanarek said diabetes is a complex condition influenced not only by lifestyle factors, but genetics as well.
“I hope they come away having a better understanding of the importance of your pancreas,” Henry-Kanarek said. “And for folks who have more interest in diabetes, coming away with an understanding that it’s not something you can just like fault a person (for) — it’s a disorder that’s complex and caused by environmental factors as well as genetics.”
Henry-Kanarek also mentioned the broader importance of engaging the public in accessible, scientific conversations.
“I think — especially in the current political climate — both scientists and lay people don’t always feel listened to or understood,” Henry-Kanarek said. “Facilitating these kinds of conversations that humanize everyone are really important for building faith in science.”
Daily Staff Reporter Alaine Hanson can be reached at alaineh@umich.edu.