DMMM4: STEM Outreach Case Studies and Best Practices
Sponsored by: TMS: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Program Organizers: Aeriel Murphy-Leonard, Ohio State University; Mark Carroll, Honeywell Aerospace; Blythe Clark, Sandia National Laboratories; Kevin Cunningham, ATI Specialty Alloys & Components; Lauren Garrison, Commonwealth Fusion Systems; Atieh Moridi, Cornell University; Ashleigh Wright, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Megan Cordill, Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science; Jonathan Madison, National Science Foundation; Mitra Taheri, Johns Hopkins University; Clarissa Yablinsky, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Wednesday 2:00 PM
March 2, 2022
Room: Marquis Ballroom Northeast
Location: Anaheim Marriott

Session Chair: Megan Cordill, Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science; Lauren Garrison, Commonwealth Fusion Systems; Atieh Moridi, Cornell University


2:00 PM  Invited
Building Effective STEM Outreach Programs: Jessica Krogstad1; 1University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    For quite some time, outreach has been presented as a key part of diversifying professions in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)—but does it work? Are there steps we can take to make outreach efforts more effective? In this presentation, we will discuss what effective outreach actually means and then how to design a new outreach camp around these goals. Based on current literature and local case studies from the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) camps at the University of Illinois, we’ll identify the factors that are important to consider depending on the target audience, camp format, and available staffing/resources. Finally, we will present a strategy that integrates well defined goals with these critical factors as the foundation for outreach camp development, implementation, assessment, and dissemination.

2:30 PM  Invited
Materials Calisthenics: Harnessing Your Interests to Inspire Diverse Audiences: Suveen Mathaudhu1; 1Colorado School of Mines / Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
    Materials science and engineering is not as well-known as other engineering disciplines, therefore it exponentially suffers from the lack of a diverse, inclusive pipeline. This absence of exposure starts from an early age, but extends to more senior populations pursuing lifelong learning. This lecture will focus on key strategies that can transition the interests of the speaker into effective tools for piquing the curiosity and inspiring longer-term connectivity and engagement. More pointedly, research-based outreach practices that prioritize inclusivity and ensure engagement in an era of remote instruction will be emphasized. Examples from Mathaudhu’s successful usage of pop-culture, comic books and hip-hop music to teach MSE principles will be presented, along with interactive heuristic application of the presented concepts to assist the audience in developing their own unique outreach tools.

3:00 PM  
Designing Inclusive Research Experiences for Undergraduates: A Case Study on the Stanford Materials Science and Engineering REU Program: Rajan Kumar1; Abby Carbone1; 1Stanford University
    The Stanford Materials Science and Engineering community is committed to improving equity and inclusion in higher education. We believe increasing access to undergraduate research opportunities is a critical step towards improving recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in STEM. In this talk, we introduce a template for designing inclusive undergraduate research experiences as demonstrated through the Stanford MatSci REU Program. Our primary goal is to introduce students without prior research experience to multidisciplinary topics that showcase how materials science and engineering can be used to tackle important societal challenges. By implementing mentorship and communication guidelines, we establish best practices for ensuring positive outcomes in all student research experiences. Furthermore, our program provides broad career guidance by helping students develop tangible research and communication skills, exposing students to a variety of technical careers and graduate school opportunities, and supporting student mentorship through our community of students, faculty, and alumni.

3:20 PM What’s next? - Megan Cordill, Erich Schmid Institute

3:30 PM Break

4:00 PM Outreach Activities: Hands-on activities lead by session speakers and TMS members for participants to perform at their own pace. The activities include materials science-based demonstrations for children and adults, new teaching methods to engage students, and short-term project planning for undergraduates.

5:00 PM Evaluating Outreach Activities: After the hands-on activities, comments, suggestions, and feedback is anticipated from the participants. Additionally, what have others done for STEM outreach? What has worked and was has not? Panel members include: Suveen Mathaudhu, Rajan Kumar, and Abby Carbone. Moderated by: Megan Cordill