Successful demonstration of lipid assembly chemistry to a general audience can be challenging on both physical (nanoscopic dimensions of lipid assemblies) and intellectual (complex, interconnected concepts) accounts. Quite often, an instructor has to leave key concepts out of what is being offered due to time constraints, which unfortunately…

A collection of four activities for science outreach events was developed to teach middle school students about the temperature dependence of scientific phenomena. Procedures are described for four interactive demonstrations on phase changes, fluorescence, viscosity effects on diffusion, and conductivity. Each hands-on activity helps students…

Affective and cognitive outcomes of science teaching in schools may be enhanced by science outreach labs (SOLs). Particularly interesting is whether and how to connect SOL visits to in-school science learning. Recent studies--among others, in this journal--have confirmed SOLs' positive affective effects. However, research remains inconclusive…

School pupils often perceive STEM subjects to be challenging; thus, in this project, an interactive, nationwide STEM investigation was designed to stimulate their interest. The "Soils in Scottish Schools" project provided teachers with a flexible package of resources to allow them to enhance the profile and understanding of soil science…

Reported herein is the design, implementation, and evaluation of a full-day outreach program for high school girls that focuses entirely on sugar-related activities. The program, which we ran in February 2016 and February 2017, included multiple hands-on sugar-based experiments to increase the participants' interest in and enthusiasm for science.…

Production of thin metal oxide films was recently explored as part of an outreach program with a goal of producing nanoscale structures with household items. Household items coated with various metals or titanium compounds can be heated to produce colorful films with nanoscale thicknesses. As part of a materials chemistry laboratory experiment…

There continues to be a persistent, widespread gender gap in multiple STEM disciplines at all educational and professional levels: from the self-reported interest of preschool aged students in scientific exploration to the percentages of tenured faculty in these disciplines, more men than women express an interest in science, a confidence in their…

Decreased funding for middle and high school education has resulted in reduced classroom time, which, when coupled with an increased focus on standardized testing, has decreased the exposure of many middle school students to hands-on science education. To help address these challenges, we developed an integrated outreach program, spanning grades…

Nowadays, outreach labs are important informal learning environments in science education. After summarizing research to goals outreach labs focus on, we describe our evidence-based gene technology lab as a model of a research-driven outreach program. Evaluation-based optimizations of hands-on teaching based on cognitive load theory (additional…

Given the emphasis on community engagement in higher education, academic departments need to become more involved in the community. This paper discusses a number of outreach activities undertaken by the chemistry department at Rhodes University, South Africa. The activities range from service learning to community engagement with teachers and…

Describes a project designed to increase science literacy in the general public by bringing hands-on experiments with real-world applications to public school students. Provides the history and an outline of the program. (DDR)