U-M Grad Students Highlight Value of STEM Outreach

In the article, the U-M authors highlight that while polymers are an essential component of daily life, they are rarely referenced in K-12 education. The merits of effective and comprehensive STEM instruction have been documented and the U-M students working on REACT were driven to use their background in chemistry and polymer science to develop engaging instructional activities for students. All of the REACT lessons are developed “to align with the Michigan State Education Standards (Michigan is an NGSS Lead State Partner), such that each lesson can be adapted to the vocabulary of the classroom, even across different grade levels and school curricula.”

With the support of CEO, the students conducted outreach efforts at a variety of Michigan schools with limited educational resources and were able to build a community of educators through the REACT program. Going forward, students are looking forward to “increasing interactions with relevant STEM departments and organizations at the University of Michigan” and aim to expand their volunteer base of students, faculty, and staff to expand their outreach efforts.

CEO is proud to recognize the efforts of the graduate students from U-M’s American Chemical Society POLY/PMSE Student Chapter and looks forward to future partnerships.