The Ohio State Chapter of Sigma Xi Honor Society (u.osu.edu/sigmaxiohiostate/) has teamed up with Hilliard Horizon Elementary School to plan a virtual Science Night, which aims to engage young students (K-5^th grade, ages 5-10 years) in science in a fun and educational manner. We are currently recruiting members of the Ohio State community who would like to get involved in planning and running this event. The Science Night will occur as a one- or two-night online event for two separate age groups: kindergarten to 2^nd grade and 3^rd-5^th grade. The event will take place virtually in late April/early May. We are looking for volunteers to help plan the event and/or participate in it, which could include any combination of helping plan topics/activities, pre-recording or presenting in the session, and/or providing logistical support (i.e. moderating Zoom sessions).

This is a great opportunity to participate in science outreach, practice science communication skills, and help inspire young students’ interest in science during a socially distanced time! If you are interested in participating, please fill out the following survey: go.osu.edu/hh2021.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Dr. Karch, our chapter Director of Outreach at karch.22@osu.edu.

On November 18th, Sigma Xi member Kelly Crowe visited COSI Academy to speak to high school students about gene therapy and life as a biomedical researcher as a part of the OSU Chapter of Sigma Xi’s Meet-a-Scientist program. After learning about the basics of gene therapy, students got hands-on experience with DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, and gene therapy vector design, while also discussing the societal and ethical implications of gene therapy. Meet-a-Scientist is an outreach program from the OSU Chapter of Sigma Xi that seeks to connect working scientists with local classrooms and civic organizations to communicate the excitement of their research and career path, and COSI Academy is an ongoing program for high school students at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) to facilitate exploration of careers in STEM fields.