Outreach Opportunity Alerts
Outreach Opportunity Alerts connect members of the Caltech community with educational outreach opportunities in the Pasadena community and beyond for which they can volunteer. They are published monthly.
To join the newsletter mailing list for Outreach Opportunity Alerts, members of the Caltech community can sign up here: http://eepurl.com/daAaeP or email Kitty Cahalan, kcahalan@caltech.edu. Please give Kitty your name, email address, Caltech affiliation (undergraduate, graduate student, postdoc, faculty or staff) and department, option or research group.
June 2024
The annual day of undergrads in matching Ditch Day shirts doing unexpected things is behind us, and the pings and pongs of hammers on pipes as the commencement tent goes up are being heard all the way over at the Red Door. It's that exciting season of new beginnings, and some of our long-time volunteers are off to their new starts soon. We are grateful for all of your time and your commitment to the greater community here during your time at Caltech. For those of you remaining, there is plenty going on this summer! Read on and let us know here in CTLO's Outreach Office if you want to participate in one of these activities, or start your own outreach effort!
Host A One-Day Workshop with PCC Upward Bound Math and Science
PCC hosts a program called Upward Bound Math and Science, a federally-funded program for youth from Pasadena Unified and El Monte high school district schools who are first generation to college or otherwise socioeconomically disadvantaged. UBM&S provides a summer academy in which students can take math and science courses for credit, as well as get exposure to STEM enrichment experiences.
The summer academy organizers seeking Caltechers who would like to host a one-day Thursday workshop for 12-15 students grades 9-12. The topic is of the Caltecher's choice, as long as the day includes some kind of hands-on or participatory component for the students.
Below are the available dates. Note that while most workshops will run from 9 am -2 pm (with a lunch break), July 25this only a partial day (9 am-12:30 pm).
Thursday June 27th 9:00 am - 2:00 pm (Lunch: 12:30 – 1pm)
Thursday July 11th 9:00 am - 2:00 pm (Lunch: 12:30 – 1pm)
Thursday July 18th* 9:00 am - 2:00 pm (Lunch: 12:30 – 1pm)
Thursday July 25th 9:00a - 12:30p (note this is a short day)
*Volunteer potentially found for this date
Please contact Kitty Cahalan at kcahalan@caltech.edu if you would like to host a workshop. We will be happy to brainstorm ideas with you and provide support.
Science Expos Continue Through Summer!
We still need volunteers for two upcoming events:
- Eaton Canyon Nature Center Presents: A Day In Nature - Where Art and Nature Unite; Saturday, June 22, 9 am - 2 pm (split into 2 shifts)
- Activities or demos related to biology, nature, environmental science, geology, plus anything artsy
- Level Up Youth Leadership Conference: Build a Just and Sustainable Future; Tuesday, July 16, 12-2 pm at Jefferson Branch Library, Pasadena
- Activities or demos related to sustainability, environmental science and engineering, social justice
Sign up here: https://www.volunteersignup.org/8M7FR - if you represent a group, have only one person sign up as point of contact. We will get in touch with details and to help arrange rides if needed! We can even bring a science demo or activity for you to run if you don't have one!
Contact Kitty Cahalan at kcahalan@caltech.edu with questions!
Lab Tour Hosts and Panelists Needed for HS/CC Visits
CTLO is hosting two groups for tours in July, and we need the following:
Wednesday, July 17: Partnership For Success
A group of Pasadena Unified 10th graders will be on campus for admissions and lab tours. We're asking for people willing to give short (10-15 minute) tours of your labs to 2-3 groups of 15 students each sometime during the morning or just after lunch.
Thursday, July 25: Santiago Canyon College
A group of community college students is coming for lab tours and to learn about grad school and careers in STEM. We're seeking people willing to serve as panelists during a lunchtime Q&A session about STEM careers, and people willing to give short tours of your labs to 2-3 groups of 15 students each sometime during the day (schedule TBD).
If you are interested, please email Kitty Cahalan, kcahalan@caltech.edu.
McKinley School Seeks Math Field Day Coaches for 2024-25
McKinley School, a Pasadena Unified grades K-8 school a few blocks from Caltech, is looking for volunteers to serve as Math Field Day coaches for both upper elementary (grades 3-5) as well as middle school (grades 6-8) for next year. Math Field Day is a district-wide math competition held each spring, and winners move on to county competition.
Volunteers can commit to either elementary or middle school coaching, which involves a one day per week after-school meeting with the 8-12 team members from that grade span. A McKinley teacher will also be there to help supervise the students. Ideally, coaches will meet weekly with students starting in the fall and going through Math Field Day, which is usually held in March or early April.
If you are interested, please email Kitty Cahalan, kcahalan@caltech.edu, who can connect you with McKinley teachers for more information.
American Institute of Mathematics Seeks Help for Celebration
The American Institute of Mathematics (AIM), now housed on Caltech's campus, is celebrating its 30th anniversary on June 29th. An event will take place on the lawn outside Caltech Hall from 10 AM to 2 PM, featuring a variety of games and math puzzles designed to engage a diverse audience. We anticipate a fun-filled day for school children, parents, and all enthusiasts of mathematics.
AIM is looking to recruit a few students to assist at the game stations and plans to offer a brief training session on the day of the event to prepare them.
Please let Kitty Cahalan (kcahalan@caltech.edu) know if you'd like to volunteer for this event!
We Don't Just Do STEM Outreach!
We know that Caltech has people doing their studies and research in areas that are not considered STEM fields, and we'd love to have those of you this applies to do outreach, too! We also know all our students, staff and faculty have many other talents - are you an artist, photographer, writer, actor, dancer, athlete, musician? Do you have a hobby you'd like to share with people in our community? We can do outreach with that, too!
Please let Kitty Cahalan (kcahalan@caltech.edu) know if you're interested!
*************
Caltech Educational Outreach Office's programs run on volunteers! If you would like to join any of our programs, or if you have a program of your own that you'd like to bring to K-12 students, contact Kitty Cahalan, Assistant Director of Educational Outreach, at 626-395-2468 or kcahalan@caltech.edu.