Science Education Outreach
Although STEAM Team outreach on Smith’s campus provides significant support and advocacy for college students pursuing careers in STEAM, partnerships with local community members in Northampton and the greater Pioneer Valley are also transformative in shaping the learning experiences of young students interested in STEAM. In the 2023-2024 school year, the STEAM Team was invited to present at the Geek is Glam Expo hosted by the Girl Scouts of central and western Massachusetts. In the 2022-2023 school year, the STEAM Team established relationships with Bridge Street Elementary School in Northampton and German Gerena Community School in Springfield to help aspiring students harness their creative and innovative potential while exploring the multiple disciplines of STEAM.
Current and Past Partners (Last Update: 3/9/2024)
- Homework House
- Smith College Botanical Gardens
- Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts
- Bridge Street School
- IGTED (Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day)– annually, spring semester
- IGTED: Email swe@smith.edu for more information about the structure of the event, possible volunteer roles, etc.
Upcoming Opportunities (Last Update: 3/9/2024)
- Science Fridays at Homework House– March through April
- Email Hadley Johnston (hjohnston@smith.edu) for more information on helping with workshop facilitation or curriculum development
The STEAM Team was invited to present at the Geek is Glam Expo hosted by the Girl Scouts of central and western Massachusetts. At the event, we had representatives from the Robotics team to showcase our color-sensing robot, Tricky, and an interactive demonstration of circuitry. In addition, representatives from the Arts pop-up team hosted bookmark and friendship bracelet making.
The Bridge Street Afterschool Enrichment (BASE) program, established in 2016, offers supplemental classes after school, five days a week, for elementary school students to enjoy a mixture of learning, fun, and social engagement. Beginning in fall 2022 with a spaghetti tower pop-up session, the STEAM Team developed a connection with BASE to infuse participatory science activities into youth education. In the spring semester, Emma Robertson and Maryam Ahmad led a series of workshops that helped 2nd-5th grade students develop various skills relating to STEAM, design, and kinesthetic learning. Over the course of four weeks, students became master experimentalists as they learned about the scientific method, aerodynamics, Newton’s laws of motion, buoyancy, paleontology and archaeology, and so much more.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGTED) is an annual event partnered with the Society of Women Engineers Smith Chapter. It is designed to expose more girls to STEM fields and demonstrate that pursuing an education or career in STEM is possible. This year’s one-day event, hosted on February 11th, transformed Ford Hall into an educational and creative space for middle-school-aged girls and non-binary folks to engage in various hands-on workshops and get a glimpse into the diverse fields of engineering. The 2023 theme, Designing the Future, was infused in several innovation-based activities including circuitry building with simple motors, balsa wood construction, egg crashing structure development, transportation and renewable energy exploration, and Lego robotics and coding exercises.