A long-term collaboration with Eastern Elementary/Middle School in Giles County has benefited both Virginia Tech graduate researchers and middle school students since 2016.

    Each semester, students from the graduate-level Communicating Science course (GRAD 5144) put their learning into practice by engaging in some kind of community outreach. In our collaboration with Eastern, a Title 1 school that includes children in kindergarten through seventh grade, graduate students work in teams of two or three to plan interactive and engaging presentations related to their research and accessible to sixth and seventh graders. 

This photo shows children's hands, a pen, two papers with pictures of a human brain and the words "the brain game" on them, and a stack of notecards and a die.
Students at Eastern Elementary/Middle School learned about brains and stress relief during a visit from Communicating Science graduate students. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

    Over the years, the middle schoolers have met graduate researchers from Virginia, across the United States, and around the globe. They have interacted with students from every college at Virginia Tech and have been exposed to a variety of career possibilities. They have watched chemistry demonstrations, made water resources decisions in simulation games, tried their hands at the world’s most challenging math problem, learned tips for managing stress, and passed viruses (in the form of tennis balls) around the room. 

This photo shows a young Black man talking to two middle school students in a classroom. Behind his is a screen showing a photo of someone wearing a robotic exoskeleton.
Communicating Science student Akinwale Okunola, who studies robotic exoskeletons used in the construction industry, talked to Eastern students about robotics, construction, and safety. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

    The graduate students practice their skills of connection, communication, and collaboration. They learn to shift their presentation plans in mid-stream when it becomes apparent that the middle school kids know less (or, as is more often the case, more) than the graduate students expected. They respond in the moment to the children’s questions, enthusiasm, and low energy moments. For some of the graduate students, it is their first visit to an American public school.

This photo shows a young white male leaning over a table covered with containers and liquids. At the far end of the table, a young Asian male is pouring a liquid into a container.
Communicating Science students Sam Vibostok and Clark Vu helped sixth graders make polymer "goop" and freeze materials in liquid nitrogen. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

    Two sections of Communicating Science (and occasionally three) have been offered each semester since 2015. All students who enroll engage in some form of science outreach as part of the course and are able to share their research with members of the public.

This photo shows children's hands, wooden skewers, and gumdrops.
Students at Eastern Elementary/Middle School built structures from skewers and gum drops, with the goal of creating an earthquake-proof structure. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

    Student presenters and their topics fall semester represented a wide variety of research areas. 

    For sixth grade classrooms:

Saad Solh, Shijun Wei, Ann Albright: Shake, Rattle, and Roll: Can You Build Something to Withstand an Earthquake? 

Sam Vibostok: Polymers Are Everywhere! 

Clark Vu: Polymers and Temperature: What Happens When You Freeze Silly Putty? 

Akinwale Okunola: Robotic Exoskeletons to Protect Construction Workers 

Katie Hoffman: Computer Modeling Explained 

Danielle Fitzgerald: Fossils and Geological Time 

Chandra Sarkar: Evolution for Everyone 

       

This photo shows a young white woman addressing a classroom of middle school students. On the screen behind her are some graphical design elements.
Communicating Science student Kirsten Masters shared her love of mathematics and graphs with students at Eastern Elementary/Middle School. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

 For seventh grade classrooms:

Ian Taylor: Can Viruses Beat Cancer? 

Nour Alkashef: Making New Drugs from Old Drugs

Ammar Khan: Who’s Got the Virus? 

Kirsten Masters: Math Is More Than You Think! 

Akene Anekwe: Internal Clocks and Diabetes

Emilia Hyland: Soils and Water: A Cereal Demonstration 

Maia Caddle: What’s Your Opinion About That? Social Science Surveys

Isabel Valdivia: Your Brain Under Stress: Give It a Break! 

Lindsay Johnson: Bees Dance to Communicate. Can You? 

This photo shows a young Black man holding a large clock.
Communicating Science student Akene Anekwe used a clock as part of his explanation to middle school students of his research on diabetes and humans' internal timekeeping. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.