Led by Me'lani Joseph, CLiPS Associate Director for Education and Diversity, middle schoolers visited the Case campus this summer to learn through hands-on experiences exciting things about science, technology, engineering and math.  In each half-day session, students made slime, investigated the fascinating properties of liquid nitrogen, and made (and ate) their own sorbet with the help of dry ice and the supervision of older students.  In addition, they spoke with a biologist, visited the robotics lab, and donned safety goggles to see the layered polymer processing equipment in operation.

Polymer Envoys who are high school students doing research in CLiPS (NSF Center for Layered Polymeric Systems) and CLiPS graduate students served as guides for the twelve and thirteen-year olds.

A parent of one of the visiting students wrote, my son “was the most excited about education that I have seen in the last year. He spoke about the trip in a way that convinced me he understands the importance of education, discipline and being focused. He related to the students in the Polymer Science program.”

One of the program directors commented, “The boys arrived back at school in the afternoon beaming with energy and enthusiasm from the trip.”

The young students who participated in the program were from the Aspire Program based at Hathaway Brown School, REACH which is led by University School and Hope Prep program.  These enrichment activities were organized and sponsored by CLiPS, an NSF Science and Technology Center.

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