From the faculty to the students, finding ways to support our community is a bedrock of our institution. And a group of graduate students recently went the extra mile to introduce hundreds of high schoolers to the career possibilities found in the sciences.
On an otherwise brisk Friday morning, the Bunsen burners kept it toasty inside a Sunrise Mountain High School classroom, as about 300 students hopped between lab demonstrations. Each session highlighted different opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math – such as radiation in the world around us, DNA extraction, the separation of elements, and good old-fashioned malleable substances.
“In nuclear alone, you can be a radiochemist, waste processor, power plant worker, an engineer, lawyer, doctor, public relations specialist – we need people beyond just scientists,” said Renee Olney, a UNLV College of Sciences graduate researcher and lead organizer of the workshop. “Hopefully this gets students to look at science as more relatable and creates renewed appreciation.”
This workshop was made possible with help from the STEM Ambassador Program, a national effort by more than 250 higher-ed institutions and other organizations to bridge the gap between scientists and the general public. The core objective is to make science more approachable, and urge scientists to develop community outreach ideas to promote the value of their research.
The mission caught on with Fernando Lopez, a sophomore at Sunrise Mountain, as he was drawn to the radiation station where he went hands-on with Geiger counters and observed the natural presence of radioactivity in everyday objects.
“Getting to experiment in these activities firsthand was pretty nice,” he said. “I especially liked hearing the distinct clicks when we measured the beta and alpha radiation.”
A classmate of his, Angie Peña, viewed the event as positive reinforcement for what she’s already determined to study in the sciences.
“Anything to do with forensics is automatically interesting to me, and this sparked a little more of that,” said the Sunrise Mountain junior. “Not everyone has the opportunity to attend workshops like this, and I’m very grateful that I did.”
Nearly 20 graduate students helped manage each stop in the workshop. They actively work across a variety of disciplines, including nuclear medicine, nuclear waste reprocessing, and radioactive materials. And seeing the lightbulbs turn on for so many high schoolers served only to motivate them in their mission.
“It’s so encouraging to see these kids be excited to do the science,” said Liuba Williams, a graduate student in the radiochemistry program. “The most meaningful part of this day is exposing kids to all the different ways you can do science, and maybe jumpstart their passion for it.”
Her colleague, Seth Sonier-Matteson, is also in the radiochemistry program and had a station set up nearby. His counter was adorned with paraphernalia from the Fallout video games, which he credits with increasing his love for the field.
“It’s usually our personal experiences that shape us as people. That shape our career choices,” said Sonier-Matteson. “Science shouldn’t be boring. If this made them feel inspired to learn a little more on their own, then that’s everything to me.”
A chemically pure joy of volunteering was the connective tissue that made the whole event successful.
“I hope other high schools will want to collaborate with grad students on similar projects in the future,” said Olney. “I think it’s a great opportunity, on so many levels, to recruit new students for the future, make kids more interested in science, and showcase what’s available at UNLV.”