MSMS Science Outreach club is hard at work organizing hands-on experiments and demonstrations to engage local children who may have limited access to STEM education. 

This year, the club is led by co-presidents Allie Hamric and Zuxia Li and sponsored by biology faculty Joseph Barnard. Similar to Math Outreach and English Outreach clubs at MSMS, Science Outreach aims to share how impactful and fun science can be with children in Columbus.

Barnard said seeing students first spark an interest in science is a unique experience.

“You create these events — these phenomena — in front of them, and you see their curiosity begin to unwind and see students start to ask how the world works around them,” Barnard said.

Members of Science Outreach share this common goal of introducing science to Columbus youth by showing them experiments they may not be able to experience otherwise.

“I definitely didn’t have as experienced science teachers [at my old school],” Junior club member Cassie van Riessen said. “We didn’t really have resources to do the kind of labs that would have been helpful. At MSMS, I’ve done so many more labs than I did at my old school.” 

Students involved in the club believe science is an integral and highly interesting subject more young people should have access to. 

Hamric said she wanted to take leadership in the club to bring more science-based activities to the community than last year. 

“I was in it last year, and we didn’t do as many things as English Outreach or those other types of things. This year, I really want it to be active, especially because coming to MSMS was such a good opportunity for me,” Hamric said. “I thought it would be really good if we had the chance to communicate around here to actually get them involved.”

Hamric said the club’s highly interactive aspect is what makes it unique.

“I think we resemble a lot of other clubs at this school and Math Outreach or English Outreach,” she said, “but it’s a lot more hands-on, and we do get to have different experiments that are highly interactive.”

Zuxia said her favorite part of partaking in Science Outreach is interacting with the children. 

“They might not really know what it is,” she said, “but it’s still fun.”

Van Riessen said her participation in the club comes from a place of personal enjoyment.

“I think science is awesome,” she said.