Baylor Celebrates National STEM Day at Area Schools

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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In partnership with Connally ISD, La Vega ISD and Waco ISD, Baylor research faculty will present grade-aligned, experiential projects to students at Connally Elementary School, Tennyson Middle School and La Vega High School to help encourage an affinity for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in local students. 

Additionally, Baylor has provided instructions for a candy food dye chromatography activity for parents and teachers to present to their students, selected by longtime educators in Baylor’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research for its engaging and relevant content. The lesson and instructions, available for download here, will be taken to local schools for hands-on activity in class during the week

National STEM Day is an annual day of recognition on Nov. 8, designed to encourage participation in STEM fields. The day provides an opportunity for schools and organizations to illuminate STEM opportunities and spark interest among students through projects and activities.

“Baylor University wants to ensure that we’re helping raise up a community of students interested in science, technology engineering and math, and to promote a diverse STEM workforce,” said Stacey Smith, Ph.D., assistant vice provost for research-research development in Baylor’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR). “We’re excited to connect our tremendous Baylor faculty to serve students and teachers with engaging projects and grateful for the opportunity to partner with area schools to make science come alive," Smith said.

Geologists, biomedical scientists and chemists

This year’s Baylor faculty researchers participating in National STEM Day activities represent the disciplines of geology, biology and chemistry. Each has earned a national reputation as a leading scholar within his or her field, and all have built significant research portfolios. The Office of Broader Impacts within Baylor OVPR partners with each scientist to create grade-appropriate adaptations of their work to help students throughout the community better understand and be inspired by the opportunities to learn and, someday, work with a STEM field.

Three Baylor scientists are participating in this year’s National STEM Day activities:

Dan Peppe, Ph.D., associate professor of geosciences, has served on an international team whose decade-long research project shifted Africa’s prehistoric timeline by 10 million years. The team’s revolutionary discoveries were featured in the journal Science and supported by National Science Foundation funding. Peppe will visit with students in Connally Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 4, creating experiential geology stations to help students discover what they can learn from the world around them.

Aaron Wright, Ph.D., The Schofield Endowed Chair in Biomedical Sciences, is a leading microbiome researcher. He studies the relationship between environmental factors, human health and the microbiome – the collection of microorganisms found throughout the body in areas such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and other leading agencies. Wright will lead chromatography experiments at Tennyson Middle School on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Elyssia Gallagher, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is an analytical chemist who uses mass spectrometry techniques to study a variety of factors impacting human health, including various infections and cancer. In 2020, she earned a National Science Foundation Early Career Award and regularly connects with local educators to implement college-level science concepts in the classroom. Gallagher will lead chromatography experiments at La Vega High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Students from each professor’s laboratory will join them at the schools and work alongside younger students participating in the activities.

Chromatography project

In addition to use in schools, a chromatography project is available for parents and teachers to download and use. Many students will recognize that candies, and other foods they enjoy, contain dyes.  That recognition enables them to discover how science and science concepts are embedded into their everyday experiences. 

Chromatography is a process by which scientists separate different parts of a mixture. By separating these different parts  of a mixture, scientists can both analyze the mixture and purify it. Students at Tennyson Middle School and La Vega High School will conduct their own chromatography work alongside Baylor professors and students. Parents and teachers elsewhere can learn how to get a few simple materials for each student to set them up for success in trying this project on their own. 

A list of materials and detailed instructions are available online.

“As a former educator, I know how hard it can be to find cool hands-on activities that are aligned to state standards and meet those needs within the scope of the work teachers have to do,” Smith said. “Baylor faculty do incredible research across a variety of disciplines, which presents us with so many great options to connect to students locally. National STEM Day is a perfect day to make these connections, and we’re only scratching the surface of what is possible.”

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.