Rainbow Snowflakes

Activity: Try this fun activity on a sunny day to explore patterns of how  sun reflects light. Take an old CD and use the shiny side to reflect light onto a blank wall or poster board. Questions to Ask: What do you notice? Do you see a pattern? Are the patterns moving? Do you see […]

Penguin Feathers and Wet Weather

Activity: Print or find a penguin picture to color. Free ones can be printed at: https://www.momjunction.com/articles/penguin-coloring-pages-for-your-little-ones_0089527/#gref. Color in the penguin feathers with crayons. Fill a spray bottle with water and a few drops food coloring. Put the colored picture on a tray and spray the picture of the penguin while noticing what happens to the water […]

Fizzy Ice

Materials: Crushed or cubed pieces of ice in a bowl Vinegar Food coloring Medicine dropper Baking soda Activity: Mix vinegar and food coloring to make colored vinegar. Put this in little cups. Next, fill up a bowl with crushed or cubed ice and build mounds of ice. Add some baking soda on each mound and […]

Crystal Icicles

Activity: Winter is upon us and some of the most fascinating things in nature to observe this season are icicles. On a cold wintery day, go on a treasure hunt for icicles. Notice all the different places you can find them; on trees, on the edges of rocks, on the gutters.After exploring real icicles outside, […]

Like a spelling bee, but for neuroscience: WashU Brain Bee set for Feb. 16

Erik Herzog was starting to get concerned. He was deep into the oral portion of the 2018 St. Louis Area Brain Bee and the unthinkable was on the horizon: He was running out of questions. “The contestants had never performed so well in the past,” said Herzog, professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at […]

mySci Do program brings science to life for St. Louis students

A collaboration of Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership, The Little Bit Foundation and other community partners is seeking to provide more equitable access to 21st century STEM in underserved schools. The mySci Do program engages students in learning through making, computing and designing, using tangible materials such as legos, robotics and electric circuits. Modeled after mySci – a […]

ISP addresses region's shortage of computer science teachers

You don’t need to be a great coder to teach computer science. You only need to be a great teacher. That is the experience of Jaime Gilligan of Washington University in St. Louis’ Institute for School Partnership (ISP). Through the Code.org professional learning program, Gilligan and other ISP instructional specialists are teaching local middle and […]

mySci's Arch Hour of Code Challenge

In 1933, St. Louis attorney Luther Elly Smith conceived of a monument honoring Thomas Jefferson and his vision for westward expansion. In 1947, a national design competition for a monument was launched. Architect Eero Saarinen’s stainless steel Arch was chosen the winner, and construction of the monument was completed in 1965. The  stainless steel Gateway Arch […]

Op-ed: Creating a STEM-strong St. Louis

STEM is all around us, from the complex to the simple. Take your smartphone, for example. This device wouldn’t be possible without the brainpower of engineers. Additionally, improved treatments and cures for diseases are possible because of scientists and medical professionals who have a deep understanding of the human body, but you can find STEM […]

Obituary: David L. Kirk, professor emeritus of biology, ISP faculty fellow, 84

David L. Kirk, professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, at Dougherty Ferry Assisted Living in St. Louis after a long illness. He was 84. Kirk, who was an active and passionate member of the university community for nearly 50 years, spent a […]