STEM Outreach

Pre-Collegiate Outreach Graduate Assistant

As the graduate assistant for the Office of Pre-Collegiate Outreach Programs, I have a variety of responsibilities, including completing inventory of materials for upcoming events, coordinating presenter groups for Engineering Ambassador events, representing the office at local outreach events, and more. Some events that I have coordinated activities for are:

STEM week promotional event with MA Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, leading a robotics activity for homeschooled kids
Boys & Girls club of Worcester STEM night, teaching local kids about electricity and conductors with a Makey Makey kit
Boys & Girls club of Leominster college night, promoting WPI's STEM programs for the academic and summer seasons

Girls VEX IQ Robotics Coordinator

I am the lead coordinator for the WPI Vex Girls Robotics team. This program is for girls in third-fifth grade, and this year, this is all of the girls' first introduction to robotics. Each week we teach the girls new curriculum, from mechanisms, to actuators, to autonomous programming. The girls learn how to build a basic robot from the Vex kit, then design their own additional elements for the local Vex competition. They also learn how to program through both teleoperation and autonomous modes.

Women's Research and Mentorship Program

The Women's Research and Mentorship Program (WRAMP) at WPI is a multi-tiered mentorship program funded by the Women's Impact Network. It targets local high school women and college undergraduates to engage in hands-on laboratory research with female graduate student mentors. As a graduate mentor, I helped my mentees learn valuable research skills, prepare for college applications, and contribute to meaningful research work through small projects to be incorporated into my thesis work.

Engineering Ambassadors

I participated in the Engineering Ambassadors program as an undergraduate, through which I first realized my passion for STEM outreach. Through this program, I gained experience with designing hands-on, interactive activities to engage K-12 students in engineering and science, and to demonstrate the impact and accessibility of careers in STEM. I also have this program to thank for my extensive experience in developing and delivering presentations to a variety of audiences. As the outreach office's graduate assistant, I supported the current EAs in their activity development and event coordination.

Summer Programs Coordinator

As a Summer Programs coordinator, I participated in the planning, organization, and management of several programs throughout the summer. I was the lead coordinator for the Spark and Ignite programs, which are week-long sessions during the day on varying STEM topics for fourth-eighth grade students. Processes I ran included drop-off and pick-up of students each day, handling behavioral issues or emergencies, and training and managing the Program Assistants, who supervise the participants and assist the professors teaching the programs.

I was also the lead coordinator for the Camp Reach program, which is a two-week long residential program for seventh grade students. I coordinated evening activities to promote bonding and active learning, as well as assisted with curriculum needs for the teachers.