Woman smiles while high-fiving kindergarten boy sitting at desk with colorful rug and walls in the background.
During our April visit, graduate student Mary Adebote connects with students while leading an energetic lesson about fishing. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

Our STEM kindergarten visits continue to spark curiosity and open little students’ minds, one kindergarten classroom at a time. In the 2024-2025 school year, there have been six in-person visits. Each time, women researchers visited Eastern Elementary/Middle School in Giles County, leading hands-on activities that introduced big ideas in neuroscience, organic chemistry, geoscience, and more.  

    This year’s classroom visitors were all graduate students from Virginia Tech:

  • October: Esther Oyedele, Department of Geosciences

  • November: Mary Grace Larson, Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

  • December: Allison Keys, Department of Chemistry

  • March: Isabela de la Rosa, Department of Psychology

  • April: Mary Adebote, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation

  • May: Brooke Lester, Department of Psychology

    The graduate students served as role models for the kids in the classroom, broadening their perspective of who a scientist is and can be, all while practicing the essential art of science communication. 

 

Woman standing at the head of the kindergarten class with focused students looking at her and screen with a man fishing.
Adebote engages a kindergarten audience, explaining the intersection of fishing, wildlife conservation, and science as her assistants prepare in the wings for a fun fishing activity. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    Since 2017, the program has brought Virginia Tech’s women scientists into kindergarten classrooms to engage young students in science. At least three important questions helped launch this project:  

  • Can you explain your work to a 5-year old?  

  • What does a child see when someone asks them to draw a scientist?  

  • How can we combat the gender-based stereotypes related to intelligence and scientist identity that show up by the end of kindergarten?

Why kindergarten?

    In 2017, influential research showed that gender stereotypes about intelligence begin to take shape as early as age six, at which time kindergarten girls were significantly less likely than boys to associate being “really, really smart” with their own gender. For Virginia Tech geosciences graduate student Caitlin Colleary, that finding was a wake-up call — and it led her to partner with the Center for Communicating Science; Dr. Vanessa Diaz, VT Department of Psychology; and Giles County Public Schools to launch the kindergarten science visits program.

 

Two little girls play with a toy dinosaur, making paw prints in playdough.
In 2017, kindergartners learned about fossilized dinosaur prints and remains from then graduate student, now PH.D. of geosciences and vertebrate paleontologist, Dr. Caitlin Colleary.

    Since then, the program has reached hundreds of students with its message: science is for everyone, and YOU are a scientist! Some 27 in-person classroom visits have taken place, and during the pandemic, the project pivoted to video — creating 10 engaging science videos, most with accompanying activity guides that teachers and families can use anywhere. Diaz is building on her previous research and currently collecting data to better understand how these early interactions shape children's ideas about who can be a scientist — including boys’ perceptions of girls in science roles. 

March visit: Brain hats, EEG caps, and a whole lot of wiggles

    Our March STEM kindergarten visit featured graduate student Isabela de la Rosa and her assistant, Ece Yuksel, both from the Department of Psychology, who took kindergarteners on an exciting journey through the human brain.

 

One woman stands at the front of a kindergarten classroom, eyes wide and smiling, donning an EEG cap, displaying the cap's straps while another smiling woman displays straps at the back of the cap.
Graduate students Isabela de la Rosa and her assistant for the day, Ece Yuksel, demonstrate their research tools to a room full of engaged and giggling kindergartners. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    With wide eyes and eager hands, the students explored an actual EEG cap – a cap fitted with electrodes that pick up brain waves – trying it on and learning how scientists use it to study electrical activity in the brain.

A little girl kneels on her chair at her desk, lightly touching an EEG cap being displayed to her. by a woman standing on a colorful, striped rug
De la Rosa and Yuksel demonstrate an EEG cap to a curious kindergartener, explaining that the cap is an important tool in their research of the brain. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    De la Rosa explained how different parts of the brain are responsible for everything from seeing and sleeping to thinking and eating. The classroom lit up with shouts of recognition and curiosity: “That’s the part that helps you dream!” “That’s where you remember stuff!” 

    Next, each child got to color their own “brain hat” to take home — a wearable souvenir that turned learning into something tangible and proudly displayed. The lesson wrapped up with a lively cartoon adventure featuring a brain character and a dance session to get the wiggles out. 

 

A little boy shows off his colored "brain hat" with his arms and hands in the air emphasizing his artwork.
An excited kindergartener demonstrates for the graduate students how he will wear his brain hat once he’s finished coloring it to his satisfaction. Photp by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    De la Rosa and Yuksel said they had a great time. “We hoped that we sparked curiosity and enthusiasm for science among kindergarteners by engaging them through these interactive activities highlighting brain science,” said de la Rosa.  

    Through it all, the children weren’t just learning neuroscience — they were seeing what a scientist looks like. 

Representation Matters

    Each kindergarten visit is a moment of discovery, fun, and empowerment. By seeing female scientists in action — up close and relatable — kindergarteners begin to build a more inclusive mental picture of science and scientists. And for the researchers leading these visits, it’s an opportunity to practice science communication in a meaningful and memorable way. 

 

Child hugs smiling woman as another woman looks on smiling as well.
Adebote and assistants receive grateful hugs from kindergarteners as they pack up to leave. This is a regular occurrence at the closing of each STEM kindergarten visit. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    As Diaz notes, “This isn’t just about inspiring girls. It’s also about helping boys understand that girls can be scientists too.” 

    With every visit, the STEM kindergarten program helps all the students in each classroom see themselves as scientists — shifting the narrative about who can be a scientist – one child, one classroom, and one brain hat at a time! 

    By Erin Smith, Center for Communicating Science project coordinator

________________________________________________________

    Do you have a passion for science and heart for inspiring the next generation? The STEM kindergarten visit program is always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our classroom visits. It’s a fun, rewarding opportunity to practice science communication, connect with the community, and help young children see themselves (and others!) as future scientists. 

    For more information, please contact Erin Smith, project coordinator for the Center for Communicating Science (erinmsmith@vt.edu).