December 2022 Newsletter

Lisa, Chelsea, and Phyllis enjoyed a recent trip to Roanoke to visit the Science Museum of Western Virginia and the Taubman Museum of Art to view the Titian to Monet: European Paintings from Joslyn Art Museum immersive experience made possible in part by the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) with ICAT staff members. CENI is thrilled to welcome Megan Atkinson, our new Pulaski County Public Schools Liaison. Be sure to check out our Liaison Corner to view highlights from a few of the field trips to Virginia Tech and educational outreach with Virginia Tech faculty and students facilitated with the help of CENI's Educator Liaison Network!
Chelsea & Phyllis

Chelsea Haines, Associate Director of Broader Impacts
Phyllis Newbill, Associate Director of Educational Networks

Call for 2023 Hokie for a Day Exhibitors!

CENI invites Virginia Tech faculty, students, and student organizations to participate in a Hokie for a Day Expo. Hokie for a Day offers fifth-grade students a unique opportunity to experience college life. The visit includes a discussion of college majors, a conversation about how to get to college, an expo with hands-on academic experiences from Virginia Tech faculty and students, lunch at an on-campus dining hall, and a chat with a student-athlete. Click the link below to sign up!

Announcing New Pulaski County Liaison

CENI and CENI Partners in the News

• Children befriend robots in playful after-school research program
• After-school program blends arts and robotics to spark students' interest in STEAM education

Spring 2023 Course

ENGE 2524: Exploring Service Learning Through STEM/STEAM Educational Outreach

Date/Time: Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45 am
Location: RAND 211
Meets Pathways Concepts 3 and 7

Explore volunteerism, traditional service learning, critical service learning, and social change. Develop intercultural competence by examining social identities, power, and privilege with a focus on preK-12 education systems in the United States. Develop Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) and STEM educational outreach experiences that meet needs identified by community members in teams. Demonstrate career readiness through experiential learning. Pre: Sophomore standing.
Contact: Dr. Chelsea Haines 

CENI Educator Liaison Corner

Floyd County Schools

Virginia Tech students in Dr. Haines' service learning class offered through the Department of Engineering Education visited with Mr. Jason Burgard's robotics class to introduce electrical and computer engineering concepts, including an Arduino board.

Students also visited Mrs. Craighead’s and Mrs. Bolt’s first grade classes in Willis Elementary and Indian Valley Elementary to introduce computer science concepts.

Connections have been made including University Libraries and the FCPS Technology Department, Pamplin College of Business and the FCPS Business Department, and VT College of Science and a variety of FCPS classrooms. Please contact Kim Keith if you are interested in networking or creating an outreach opportunity!

Montgomery County Public Schools

Students at Montgomery Central enjoyed learning about insects and arthropods, and their impact on ecology when Dr. Daniel Frank from the Virginia Tech Department of Entomology visited.

Eastern Montgomery Elementary School celebrated STEM night earlier this month.  Students, parents, and staff were delighted to learn and participate in a variety of STEM topics.  Special thanks go out to the following Virginia Tech organizations and faculty that helped make this event a success: Digging in the Crates: Hip Hop Studies at Virginia Tech, e-Nable at Virginia Tech, Dr. Kristy Collins and her art bot, and Virginia Tech Chemistry and the Chemistry magic show. 

Radford City Public Schools

Engineering Showcase

Dr. Kim Lester, Coordinator of Pre-College Programs with the Center for Enhancement of Engineering Diversity, coordinated student engineering groups for participation in an Engineering Showcase hosted by Radford High School.  The event featured Virginia Tech students from 12 different departments/organizations.  The VT students provided engineering and technology-related activities, demonstrations, and information for RHS 11th and 12th grade students.  Pictured are members of the Galipatia Residential Community and the Biomedical Engineering Society with Radford High School students. Photos courtesy of Taylor Cupp.

Passport to Career

Dr. Karen Eley Sanders, Associate Vice Provost for College Access, and Whitley Johnson held the College Access Collaborative’s first of four Passport to College and Career programs of the year for Radford High School sophomores.  Programming will dovetail with RHS’s Core Values and Expectations - for students to be Respectful, Safe, Peaceful, and Connected.  The first session, focused on Respect, engaged students in scenarios that addressed workplace etiquette and business ethics.

VT Athletics Hires RHS Horticulture/Floriculture Students

Radford High School horticulture/floriculture students were hired by Virginia Tech athletics to provide 45 centerpieces for their men's basketball Tip-Off Banquet held last month.  In addition to making the arrangements, students also participated in all aspects of the business part of the experience, from ordering to billing. 

Virginia Tech Roanoke Center

With visits from Floyd, Montgomery, and Roanoke counties our lab has been full of amazing ideas and creativity, from Bluetooth cookware to interactive closets, we’ve had some incredible inventions designed by students this fall! We’re so excited to see what new ideas 2023 will bring!

Science Museum of Western Virginia

It’s that time of year! The Science Museum of Western Virginia will be participating in Dickens of a Christmas this year in Downtown Roanoke. Check out our mulled wine and learn more about our current and upcoming programs by visiting us on the first three Friday nights in December. Visit the Downtown Roanoke site for more information about the event.

The Science Museum of Western Virginia will host four Winter Day Camp sessions during the winter break. Students in grades 2nd through 5th are invited to attend any and all of our winter camps on December 22nd, December 23rd, December 29th, and December 30th. Students will explore the science behind surviving the South Pole climate, animals of the arctic, the astronomy inspiring the winter solstice, and all about the Ice Age! The December 22nd session will feature Ashley Sloan from the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center guiding students through engineering and designing activities inspired by South Pole explorers and scientists. Visit our site to learn more about our Winter Day Camps, or register here.

Highlights from the Campus Engagement Network 

Wonder Universe

Throughout December, and beyond, Wonder Universe hosts weekly Toddler Time on Wednesdays, bi-weekly Story Time events, and monthly Tiny Explorers sensory art programming. Check our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/WonderUniverseCM) for all the latest information on upcoming programming.

Wonder Universe continues to seek STEM Saturday volunteers for the winter and beyond. Please email hello@wonderuniverse.org if interested in volunteering to host a Saturday morning STEM exploration activity at the museum.

Kids' Tech University

Spread the word and get excited: the Virginia Tech Kids' Tech University program registration is open! Kids' Tech University (KTU) is a spring program developed by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech and Virginia 4-H, that puts scientists and engineers in front of children to encourage the exploration of intriguing topics in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

This year we are offering 2 concurrent programs on Jan. 28, Feb. 18, March 18 and April 1, 2023. The In-Person Program will be held at the Virginia Tech campus (Blacksburg, VA) and will include up to 250 kids (ages 9-12 by Sept. 30, 2022) and their parents. Kids and parents will watch interactive sessions presented by renowned research scientists and participate in hands-on activities led by undergraduate students and VT faculty/staff. Each day's events will center on common themes related to everyday life. The Virtual Program will be offered on the same dates as the In-Person program. The interactive sessions will be live-streamed via zoom and materials for hands-on activities will be mailed home to each Virtual participant.

Register for either the In-Person Program (Registration fee of $75) OR the Virtual Program ($50). Scholarships are available.

Upcoming Deadlines and Events

1/28, 2/18, 3/18, 4/1: Kids Tech University