The REACT (Research and Education Activities for Community Teachers) program connects K-12 educators to current research at Cornell University. Led by graduate students, this two-day workshop includes presentations on research and the path to higher education, lab tours, and demonstrations. The goal of REACT is to show teachers how cutting-edge research is performed today, equip them with activities that can help them bring that research back to the community and their students, and foster relationships between educators and graduate students. REACT was started at University of Michigan in 2017, and has grown tremendously since. Our team visited the University of Michigan workshop in 2019 and started a Cornell branch of the program in 2020 to bring REACT to educators in New York.

The 2023 REACT workshop took place on August 10 (virtual) and August 11 (in person):

Contact

Please get in touch if you would like to volunteer or to ask about attending this event in the future:
react@cornell.edu

Agenda

Virtual day (August 10, 2023) @ Zoom:

9:30 AM – 9:35 AM: Welcoming Remarks
Rachael Skye

9:35 AM – 10:35 AM: Life Sciences

moderator: Colby Gekko

• 9:35–9:50 AM Talk: Samiha Azgar, “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Across the Reproductive Lifespan”
  • materials: presentation slides
• 9:50–10:05 AM Lab tour: Jack Crowley, Claudia Fischbach Lab & Warren Zipfel Lab
  • materials: video
• 10:05–10:50 AM Activity: Quinton Wright & Tomisin Sodeinde, “Bone Remodeling Visualized with JENGA” (middle school) and Abigail Landers, “Inquiry-based Exploration of the Microbial World” (high school)
  • Quinton & Tomisin’s materials: presentation slides, worksheet
  • Abigail’s materials: presentation slides, worksheet

(10:50 AM – 11:05 AM: Break)

11:05 AM – 12:20 PM: Physical Sciences

moderator: Vaibhav Sharma

• 11:05–11:20 AM Talk: Jeffrey Kaaret, “Nonlinear Phononics: Using Spring Math in Modern Physics”
  • materials: presentation slides
• 11:20–11:35 AM Lab tour: Joe Dill, Jena–Xing Lab
• 11:35 AM–12:20 PM Activity: Zhou Yang & Asad Bhuiyan, “Beat and Moiré, Emergent Patterns From Mismatch” (middle school) and Sam Bright-Thonney, “Teaching Your Computer How to Sing” (high school)
  • Zhou & Asad’s materials: presentation slides, handout, worksheet “Beat Frequency”, worksheet “Lattice Periods & Angles”
  • Sam’s materials: activity

(12:20 PM – 1:20 PM: Break)

1:20 PM – 2:35 PM: Earth & Space Sciences

moderator: Abigail Nason

• 1:20–1:35 PM Talk: Lyn Zemberekci, “Interdisciplinary Research and Technologies for Sustainable Infrastructure Materials”
  • materials: presentation slides, Infrastructure Report Card “Schools”
• 1:35–1:50 PM Lab tour: Ben Keller, Experimental Cosmology Lab
  • materials: presentation slides
• 1:50–2:35 PM Activity: Odalys Callejas, “Rock Iden” (middle school) and An Foster, “Photochemistry on Saturn” (high school)
  • Odalys’ materials: presentation slides, worksheets, mineral identification guide, request science kit from CCMR lending library
  • An’s materials: presentation slides

(2:35 PM – 2:50 PM: Break)

2:50 PM – 3:40 PM: Applications of Science

moderator: Rachael Skye

• 2:50–3:05 PM Talk: Avi Shragai, “Sound Waves in Superconductors”
  • materials: presentation slides
• 3:05–3:20 PM Talk: Qi Tang, “Utilizing Kinetic Energy: Making Metal Productions akin to Cooking Mochi”
  • materials: presentation slides
• 3:20–3:40 PM Panel discussion: “How I Got to College & Grad School”

In-person day (August 11, 2023) @ Cornell University:

Morning

• 10:00 AM – 10:10 AM Welcoming Remarks: Rachael Skye @ Olin Hall 128
• 10:10 AM – 10:20 AM Talk: Maya Martirossyan & Sam Bright-Thonney, “The Path to STEM” @ Olin Hall 128
• 10:20 AM – 10:40 AM Demonstration: Sam Bright-Thonney, “How to build a Digital to Analog Converter” @ Olin Hall 128
• 10:40 AM – 11:25 AM Activities (Life Sciences) @ Olin Hall 128
  • Katerina Roth, “Food Chemistry and Emulsions” (middle school)
  • materials: presentation slides
  • Cole Roland, “A Bug’s Life and the Neurobiology Behind It” (high school)
  • materials: worksheet
• 11:25 AM – 12:10 PM Activities (Physical Sciences) @ Olin Hall 128
  • Tom Ugras, “The Significance of a Twist: Chirality and Light-matter Interactions” (middle school)
  • materials: presentation slides, handout
  • Joseph Grassi, “Cloud Chambers and Particles” (high school)
  • materials: presentation slides, manual

12:10 PM – 1:10 PM: Lunch break & CNF Virtual Reality Tour @ Upson Hall 106

Afternoon

• 1:10 PM – 1:40 PM Lab Tour: Lyn Zemberekci, Bovay Lab @ Thurston Hall
• 1:40 PM – 2:10 PM Lab Tour: Teresa Porri, Biotechnology Resource Center Imaging Facility @ Weill Hall
• 2:10 PM – 2:40 PM Lab Tour: Jesse Hsu, Brett Fors Lab @ Physical Sciences Building
  • materials: presentation slides
• 2:40 PM – 3:00 PM (transit)
• 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM Facility Tour: CHESS
• 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM Closing Remarks @ Olin Hall 128

Previous events

• REACT 2022
• REACT 2021
• REACT 2020

Organizing team – Cornell REACT 2023

Rachael Skye (MSE)
Abigail Nason (MSE)
Bilal Azhar (MSE)
Colby Gekko (CCB)
Jena Shields (AEP)
Vaibhav Sharma (Phys)

(MSE = Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
CCB = Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology,
AEP = School of Applied and Engineering Physics,
Phys = Department of Physics)

Sponsors – Cornell REACT 2023

Partnering Organizations

CCMR
CNF
CHESS
EYH
GRASSHOPR
PARADIM
SUPREME