Penn State BMES Student Chapter Promotes STEM Education in Community

This past fall, members of the Biomedical Engineering Society at Penn State had the opportunity to reach out to area elementary, middle, and high school students by participating in the Exploration-U Bellefonte Family Science Night. On Nov. 14, 2013, Penn State undergraduates, graduates, and faculty conducted hands-on activities relating to STEM fields inspiring younger students to become future scientists and engineers.

Penn State BMES members display the Oobleck and lava lamp experiments at Exploration-U Bellefonte Family Science Night.

The BMES chapter held two demonstrations: investigating the behavior of "Oobleck" (a non-Newtonian fluid) and making lava lamps. With Oobleck, students were able to explore how the material can act as a liquid when slowly poured, but behave as a solid when force is applied. Everyone had a good time learning with this gooey mess!

In the second demonstration, students could create their own lava lamps simply using oil, water, food coloring, and Alka-Seltzer tablets. Students learned that the densities of oil and water allow water to remain at the bottom of the container, with oil on the top. As Alka-Seltzer tablets were added and gas bubbles released, the colored water rose. Finally, as the gas escaped, the water fell back to the bottom of the container.

Through exposure to scientific concepts and hands-on experimentation, Exploration-U Bellefonte Family Science Night offered the opportunity for the Penn State community to motivate students to enter STEM fields.

- Erin Richards, doctoral student in biomedical engineering