STEM Initiative

Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)

STEM is everywhere! from ORISE on Vimeo.

 

Ronald Hickland Jr STEM Advocate

As a young black entrepreneur with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, our company CEO, Ronald Hickland Jr thinks it is important to give back to our youth. By building up our youth and inspiring them to find interest in STEM in their everyday lives, we are helping to create a better future. Our STEM team works with both teachers and students to spark an interest or create a connection where there may not have been one previously.

Experiments

Bored with the same old experiments year after year? Consider adding some of these into the rotation. Do you have a great idea you’re currently using in your classroom? We would love to add it to our list. Click here to submit your experiment. Click on the experiment name to see full instructions. 

Density 

Water Bottle Ketchup Packet – Make a ketchup packet sink or float in a water bottle. Great experiment to make kids think you have telekinetic powers

Make your Own Density Bottle – Using everyday objects to show that different items have different density — All in a water bottle.

Jupiter’s Rings in a Jar – How to explore density, viscosity and miscibility with a colorful layered liquid science experiment. 

Centrifuge in a Bottle – Learn how to make a DIY centrifuge 

Chemistry

Red Cabbage pH Indicator – How to use red cabbage to determine the alkalinity of a substance.

Sucking an Egg into a Bottle – An example of pressure

Making Homemade Plastic – Make plastic using items in your kitchen

Starting a Fire with Water – DISCLAIMER: This experiment is dangerous and should only be conducted by a trained science instructor.

Homemade Fire Extinguisher – In case you need one from the previous experiment.

Burning Through Money – Burn money without actually harming it.

Invisible Ink – Make your own invisible ink

Plant Life/Botany 

Colored Celery – How do plants without roots survive?

Why do Apples Turn Brown – Slowing down oxidation in fruits and vegetables.

Tropical Rainforest Trees – Do buttress roots help trees stand upright better than underground roots?

Lemon Battery – Understanding how batteries work

How Do Carnivorous Plants Digest Insects?

Natural Herbicide vs Commercial Herbicide

Physics

Homemade Air Rockets

Hooke’s Law – Explore Newton’s 3rd Law

How to Make a Gear

Break a Ruler Using a Newspaper & Atmospheric Pressure – Demonstrates air pressure

Weightlessness in an Elevator – Examine how falling affects an object’s weight

Pendulum – Using pendulums to show energy movement

Ice-cream in a Bag  – Lean how to make ice-cream with 3 ingredients

Tornado in a Bottle  – Learn how to make a tornado in a bottle

Light and Vision

Disappearing Bottle – Explore light refraction

Making Things Glow in the Dark – Explore phosphorescence

Creating an Oven Using a Pizza Box – Solar oven

Animation – How vision aids in cartooning

Math 

Your Planetary Age – How old would you be if you lived on a different planet?

Making a Mobius Strip – Using math and paper to create a mobius strip

Unbreakable Eggs – Understanding the strength of an arch

Blood Splatter Analysis – How does math help forensic scientists?

Investigating Beauty Using the Golden Ratio – Exploring beauty using mathematical ratios

Physics of Pool – Why do pool cues do what they do?

How do Different Search Engines Work? – Exploring the mathematical algorithms of different search engines.

Engineering

Energy Efficient Windows – Determine what materials conserve the most energy

How to Make a Periscope

DIY Hovercraft – Learn how to make a hovercraft 

Renewable Energy from Water – Create an energy source using water

Marshmallow Towers – Learn how to make a stable structure using marshmallows and spaghetti

Popsicle Stick Catapult – Learn how to build with a catapult with popsicle sticks

Miscellaneous

Making Chicken Sounds with a Cup – How to make a red solo cup squawk like a chicken.

Fireworks in a Jar – See how water reacts with different substances