On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, Berkeley Lab participated in the DOE STEM Mentoring Café, the first one of its kind in California. The event took place at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland. (Click here to view photos from the event.) The following scientists and engineers from the Lab participated: Behzad Rad (Materials Sciences), Carlos Serrano-Pareja (Engineering), Christine Naca (Joint Genome Institute), Christine Shulse (Joint Genome Institute), Erin Fong (Engineering), and Maryann Villavert (Earth and Environmental Sciences).
Our volunteers set up individual “show and tell” stations where they were able to engage with local 5th through 8th grade students in science and engineering-related activities. The students were able to learn more about batteries, DNA, microscopes, circuit boards, and more.
STEM researchers shared how they got started in STEM, what interests them the most about their job, exciting projects they are working on, and why STEM matters to our society. Teachers were given take-home material to continue STEM learning in the classroom. DOE has facilitated similar events in Washington D.C., Denver, New Mexico, Illinois, Texas, Alaska, New York, Florida, and Washington state. Click here to learn more.
To participate in future outreach events, please contact Workforce Development & Education at education@lbl.gov. For any questions about the STEM Mentoring Café, please contact the Diversity and Inclusion Office at dio@lbl.gov.
