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.
March 2024
Winter term is wrapping up, we've leaped a day, and soon we'll be springing our clocks forward as we head into spring break. The outreach clock never stops ticking, though! Locals are as eager as ever to have experiences with Caltechers - read on for some fun opportunities you can participate in! Computer science students at PUSD Science Fest 2023 with logic puzzles to teach early coding skills
Pasadena Unified Science Festival - WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!
Pasadena Unified School District is hosting its second-annual all-district science expo on March 16, and we need more Caltechers to volunteer! So far we only have one group signed up for the day - we'd love to have more!
The PUSD Science Festival is an event showcasing STEM-related organizations from throughout Southern California. It will be at John Muir High School on Saturday, March 16, from noon to 5 pm. Volunteers bring demonstrations suitable for members of the public that can feature any aspect of science or engineering. Talk about your research! Bring a game! Have a hands-on activity for all ages to learn from! Show and tell something from your lab or personal life that you think is interesting! We can loan demo materials if you don't have your own. (Contact Kitty Cahalan at kcahalan@caltech.edu)
Examples of demos from last year:
- chemists talked about polymers and had participants make their own bouncy balls
- biologists brought squid from their lab and talked about their research
- computer scientists brought logic puzzles and games that demonstrate fundamentals of coding
We can help with transportation if you don't have a car! Meals will be provided, and our demonstration areas will be inside this year (no worries about inclement weather!).
Sign up here - two shifts available - noon-2:30 pm and 2:30-5 pm.
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 the week before the event.
Science Nights and other Expos
In addition to the PUSD Science Fest, we have a number of other science events we're hoping to find volunteers for throughout March and April. Any kind of demonstration or hand-on activity is welcome, and we can loan you one of ours if you'd like to come but don't have something already!
Our last events for the 2023-24 year are:
- Cloverly Elementary (Temple City) - Friday, March 8, 5-7 pm
- PUSD Science Festival (Pasadena) - Saturday, March 16, 12-5 pm (see previous article)
- Hamilton Elementary (Pasadena) - Friday, March 22, 6-8 pm
- Los Angeles City of STEM (Los Angeles Historic Park) - Saturday, April 6, 9 am - 3 pm (in 2 hour shifts)
- La Rosa Elementary (Temple City) - Friday, April 12, 5:30-7:30 pm
- Fletcher Elementary (Silverlake) - Thursday, April 18, 5-7 pm
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 the week before the event. We can help with transportation if you don't have a car!
Contact Kitty Cahalan at kcahalan@caltech.edu with questions!
Math Fun with Catch Up And Sneak Ahead
La Pintoresca Library in Pasadena is looking to start a summer math program called Catch Up and Sneak Ahead. The program features weekly afternoon sessions during which young library patrons participate in fun math activities with adult volunteers. A Caltech volunteer has offered to create and present activities for two of the weeks. We are putting the word out for volunteers who may want to collaborate with him and/or take on an additional week (or weeks!). If interested, please contact Kitty Cahalan at kcahalan@caltech.edu.
Talk to Third Graders About Your Work
Palmcrest Elementary School in La Canada is having a special science related assembly for each grade during their annual Science Fair and Science Week. They are looking for a speaker for an assembly for 3rd grade during the week of March 18th-22nd.
If you are interested in being a speaker or want more details, contact Natalie Hubbard at programs@palmcrestpta.org
Visiting Scientists
Do you want a new way to develop teaching and lesson planning skills? Do you wish you could get to know the local community a little better? Our teaching program at Madison Elementary, Visiting Scientists, is always ready to take on new volunteers. Caltechers work in grade-level teams and present hands-on lessons to 3rd, 4th or 5th graders twice per month. We welcome grad students, postdocs and staff in all disciplines! If interested, please contact Kitty Cahalan at kcahalan@caltech.edu.
Tutor Veterans at PCC
Veterans at PCC Need Your Help! They are looking for volunteer tutors in math, physics, chemistry, and life sciences. They also need help with study skills, homework review, and test preparation
Commitment is 1-2 hours per week at Caltech's Campus or at PCC's Veterans Resource Center, flexible timing.
If interested, please contact the volunteer coordinator, Lisa M. Foster, at lfoster1@pasadena.edu or 626-585-7226 x4
Extra! Extra! (March 15, 2024)
We have a few opportunities we want our subscribers to know about that came up mid-month and that can't wait for the April Opportunity Alert. Read on for some late-breaking updates!
Effective and Enduring Advocacy: Leading with Compassion in STEM
During Spring 2024, CTLO is offering a special topics course, E100, titled Effective and Enduring Advocacy: Leading with Compassion in STEM. This course aims to guide STEM students in becoming effective advocates, leveraging their training in understanding complex systems and problem-solving. Grounded in critical pedagogy, students will explore their unique strengths, foster critical consciousness, develop their identity, and better understand their potential to shape the world.
Through group discussions, self-reflection, and engaging dialogues with guest speakers, students will develop essential communication skills and compassionate behaviors that promote successful advocacy. Main assignments include a multimedia midpoint reflection, a final presentation, and a reflective personal essay, providing practical tools for navigating the intersection of advocacy and
STEM.
This course was designed by EAS graduate students in close collaboration with EAS faculty and alumni. This pilot course is part of a parallel research study, and students will have the opportunity to participate in program co-creation and evaluation, influencing this course at Caltech and beyond.
There is still space in this class for interested undergraduates and graduate students - if you're interested, sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/E100enroll
Questions? Contact Meredith Hooper at mlhooper@caltech.edu.
OC Science Fair Needs (Zoom) Judges For ISEF Selection
The Orange County Science and Engineering Fair selected twenty-four, Senior Division (High School) students for further interviews to identify nine projects to represent Orange County in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
They need Ph.D.'s and graduate students on a Ph.D. track in all STEM disciplines to interview the students on Saturday, March 23rd. The time commitment is from 8:30 am to Noon. Interviews will be on Zoom.
They plan four judging panels. Each panel will conduct six interviews, 20 minutes each and will have the opportunity to move their top projects for final consideration as ISEF Finalists or Alternates.
Projects are in the general categories of Physical Science, Biological Science, Engineering, Mathematics/Computer Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Please respond to Arnold Shugarman, OCSEF Director of Judging, at ashugarman23@gmail.com to sign up to interview these amazing students on March 23rd. We will follow-up with additional information on the interview process.
We Still Need Science Event Volunteers!
We still need volunteers to host fun activities for two large STEM expo events coming up:
Pasadena Unified Science Festival: Saturday, March 16, 12-5 pm at John Muir High School, Pasadena
Two shifts - 12-2:30 pm; 2:30-5 pm - really need second shift!
LA City of STEM: Saturday, April 6, 9 am - 3 pm at LA Historic Park, Chinatown, Los Angeles
Three shifts - 9-11 am, 11 am - 1 pm, 1-3 pm
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!
Paid Mentorship/Teaching Opportunity with San Marino HS
Caltech and San Marino High School have a long-standing partnership in which San Marino High School (SMHS) students come to campus approximately two times per month during the school year to conduct research projects in labs campuswide, as part of their course of high school study. Caltech graduate students develop the research projects which the students work on in their high school classrooms, and then serve as hosts to the high school students for the on-campus portions of the class. Graduate students are compensated for their time by SMHS. If you'd like to know more about this opportunity, please contact Mitch Aiken at aiken@caltech.edu.
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!
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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.