Outreach

Our graduate students and postdocs are our best ambassadors and their ideas are an essential part of Princeton’s advocacy and outreach. Accordingly, we’re announcing the Department of Chemistry Fund for Scholar-Led Outreach and Diversity Initiatives to provide small-batch grants for projects and programs that increase opportunity of access.

Do you have an idea for:

• introducing chemistry to grade-school or high-school kids?
• running an outreach program, community cleanup, or student presentation?
• bringing in a speaker?
• hosting a presentation, either online or in-person, for a diverse community?

The Department will fund qualified student-led initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage all graduate students and postdocs in chemistry to apply. Projects must be STEM-related and have a chemistry component.

Applications will be reviewed four times annually, on August 1, November 1, February 1, and May 1. Students may apply as often as they’d like. Individuals will be limited to one grant per academic year.

Interested? Fill out this Google Form in time for the next review cycle. We’d love to hear your proposal. For more information, please contact: Meredith LaSalle-Tarantin

Chemistry Saturdays

Chemistry Saturdays is a monthly outreach event organized by chemistry graduate students and presented at the Princeton Public Library. The event is targeted to local children ages 5-12 and aims to provide chemistry activities to both entertain and inspire scientists of the future. Each event has several hands-on activities for children to do themselves as well as a demonstration presented by chemistry graduate students. This event is temporarily suspended due to COVID-19.

Science Outreach

Science Outreach was created in 2022 to facilitate mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships between Princeton University Science educators and researchers on the one hand, and local K-12 school districts, non-profit organizations, and community stakeholders on the other. Science Outreach serves as a nexus connecting faculty, students, and postdocs with youth, schoolteachers, nonprofit organizations, and the broader community with the goals of increasing engagement, participation, equity, and inclusion in STEM fields.

Science Outreach supports Astrophysical Sciences, Center for Statistics and Machine Learning, Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Geosciences, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Physics, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, and Psychology.

Contact:
Associate Director Paryn Wallace,(609) 258-7732: [email protected]

Chem-STEM

The goal of the Chem-STEM outreach initiative is to inform and excite high-school students about graduate study and careers in science with the hope of inspiring students at a young age to pursue careers in STEM (STEM=Science Technology Engineering and Math). This live online program consists of a brief introduction to the graduate school experience and then a Q&A with a panel of current Princeton chemistry graduate students and postdocs. Chem-STEM’s virtual format means that it is available to schools anywhere and to students from all backgrounds. Chem-STEM’s virtual format also means that no travel is required for mentor volunteers limiting their time commitment (~45 minutes required per session).

Read a news story about the vision and people of Chem-STEM…

If interested in volunteering or setting up a session for your class, contact Wendy Plump (communications) [email protected]

Schools that have participated in the program include:

• Trenton Central High School, Trenton, NJ
• Hamilton Township Steinert High School, Hamilton, NJ.
• Council Rock High School, Newtown, PA.
• College Achieve Central Charter School, Plainfield, NJ.
• Willingboro High School, Willingboro, NJ.
• Toms River High School North, Toms River, NJ.