I joined the STEM Exploration and Engagement Scholars program at Ohio State so I could continue to build on my volunteering in the community during my time in college. Through the STEM EE Scholars program, I was able to be placed in the Scientific Thinkers volunteering program and I have loved the experience with the program. The Ohio State Scientific Thinkers program conducts simple science experiments with 1st-5th grade students at Innis Elementary school in order to spark the students’ interest in science. This has been a wonderful experience to work with the kids and see their faces light up whenever the volunteers perform an experiment. I have enjoyed teaching the students and working with the Scientific Thinkers organizers, as they are very easy to work with and are dedicated to helping spark scientific interest in an underprivileged  elementary school.

The Scientific Thinkers program has been a great way to continue giving back to the community during my time in college. So far my favorite experience with the program was when we extracted DNA from strawberries with the 5th grade students. The students really enjoyed smashing up the strawberries to break down the cells of the strawberries, but were a little upset that they did not get to eat them. Once the strawberries were thoroughly smashed, the students added dish soap, salt and water to the bags with their smashed strawberries. After this mixture was allowed to sit for a few minutes, the students filtered the mixture into a test tube using a funnel. Rubbing alcohol was then carefully poured into the test tube and the DNA separated from the strawberry mixture, through the alcohol and rose to the top of the test tube.

Following this experiment the students were asked questions about their experience with the experiment. The majority of the students really enjoyed learning about the DNA extraction process and were curious to learn more about DNA and how it works. The volunteers then led a discussion with the students to see what the students already knew about DNA. The students knew the basics of how DNA makes each human being unique and how it affects traits like hair color, eye color and height. However, the students were intrigued by how DNA analysis can be used to help solve crimes and how researching DNA can help lead to cures for cancer. The students were incredibly engaged in this conversation and I was glad to have been able to teach the students something new about science. I am thankful that I was able to join a great organization like the Scientific thinkers program and I am looking forward to continue working with the program in an effort to teach the next generation of scientists.