In an ongoing collaboration with Virginia Tech’s Center for Educational Networks and Impacts, which sponsors the weekly school group campus visit program Hokie for a Day, graduate students taking Communicating Science (GRAD 5144) this fall were able to share pieces of  their research with 60 fifth graders from Eastern Elementary/Middle School in Giles County.

    The children, visiting Virginia Tech October 23, made their first stop on the third floor balcony of the Moss Arts Center, where six exhibit tables awaited them.

This photo shows three young women using blue yarn, white strands of beads, Rubiks cubes, and their laptops to fifth grade children.
How do long strands of DNA fit inside tiny cells? Communicating Science student Samira Mali used a "sewing cube" to demonstrate some ideas to fifth graders visiting Virginia Tech through the Hokie for a Day program. Classmates Sydney Lopez (in white) explained her bubble research and Ny Luong (in dark gold) told the students about her work on dog cancer treatments. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.
This photo shows five fifth graders looking a a table that has red, white, and blue poker chips on it. Two young women are behind the table.
Poker chips helped Communicating Science students Megan Moran and Zia Crytser explain invasive species to fifth graders at Hokie for a Day. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.
This photo shows the hands of four children who are pipetting a blue liquid from a white cup.
The "How Does Your Food Get Its Color?" table was very popular with visiting fifth graders at Hokie for a Day. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.
This photo shows a young Black man leaning over a map on a table. Looking on are 7 fifth graders and two other young men.
Communicating Science student Seyi Dasho leans in to explain watershed science to visiting fifth graders as his colleagues Hossain Ahmadi and Niteshnirmal Sadhasivam look on. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.
This photo shows a young Black woman sidestepping out of the way of six fifth graders running down a hallway toward her.
Communicating Science student Mary Adebote (far left) hurries to get out of the way of the "migrating flounder" at her Hokie for a Day exhibit on climate change and species movement. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

    The graduate student exhibit tables included:

Elaine Metz, Mary Adebote: Fly Like a Bird, Swim Like a Fish: Adapting to Our Changing Environment

Hossain Ahmadi, Oluwaseyi Dasho, Niteshnirmal Sadhasivam: The Awesome Water Journey

Olaitan Bobade, Virell To: How Does Food Get Its Color?

Ny Luong, Sydney Lopez, Samira Mali: Bubbles and Cubes!

Megan Moran, Zia Crytser: Poker Chips and Invasive Species

Fiorella Mazzini, Mohamed Alassal, Amr Shafik: Healthy Planet

    Each group of 10 fifth graders visited a table for about 6 minutes and then moved to the next. Once they had visited all the tables, their Virginia Tech visit included a trip to a campus dining hall for lunch and a tour of Lane Stadium.