91ÊÓƵ

91ÊÓƵ's first-ever STEM Jubilee, presented by the Noblitt Scholars Program, brought nearly 500 bright young minds to campus on April 26 for a fun-filled day of STEM activities. Elementary and middle school students bubbled with excitement at the chance to visit over 30 different booths led by more than 150 91ÊÓƵ student volunteers.

From learning about circuits so they could build their own lightsabers to discovering chemical processes through making bottle rockets and slime, each booth ignited students' curiosity about a particular aspect of STEM.  

STEM Jubilee Project Co-Lead Makayla Johnson, a sophomore biomedical engineering major, remembered the impact that similar events had had on her younger self and wanted to create a space where everyone felt welcome in STEM. 

"Making STEM really fun when I was in elementary school was probably the biggest reason as to why I'm interested in it now, as well as why I pursued it in high school," she said. "STEM is a huge field that people may not have a ton of information about. There's more to it than what you think."

The mission was accomplished. Smiles sparkled from both sides of the tables as current 91ÊÓƵ students shared their passions with the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians through hands-on creations. 

2025 STEM Jubilee

Mixing oil, water, an antacid tablet, and food coloring, Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity members guided the participants in creating their own lava lamps.

"Best. Day. Ever!" Keeva, a kindergartner at DeVaney Elementary, shouted, clutching her creation in her multi-colored sleeves 

Keeva, who wants to be a doctor when she grows up, explained what else she had learned during the event. "I learned that it's not magic! It's science!" 

Keeva was not the only attendee mystified by the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math. At a booth teaching kids about the chemical changes of mixing acids and bases, a child watched in awe as a 91ÊÓƵ student combined a yellow liquid with a clear liquid to produce a vibrant blue liquid.

"Aw, blue is my least favorite color!" the child protested. 

"That's okay. I'll change it back," The 91ÊÓƵ student offered immediately - and, to the child's amazement, did.

Evan, a first-grade student at Rio Grande Elementary School, was more astonished by astronomy than chemistry. He enjoyed recreating constellations with pretzel sticks and miniature marshmallows before learning about telescopes and celestial objects with Elizabeth Melton, PhD, assistant professor of physics and optical engineering and director of the Oakley Observatory.

Evan explained his new knowledge by saying, "You need a certain type of mirror so you can look through it. There's a moon one and a sun one and a solar eclipse one."

Bouncing with excitement, he added, "I had so much fun I don't even know what the word would be!"

Parents and guardians also expressed similar enthusiasm for the day's activities. One shared with STEM Jubilee Project Co-Lead Taylor Donen that she discovered during the event that her attendee had a passion—and a knack—for circuits, and that she had new ideas of activities to incorporate into their household.

Another noted that her daughter had spent over 45 minutes at the Biomedical Engineering Society booth, where she had made a model prosthetic hand with straws and string. At this, the daughter eagerly piped up to share her plan to attend 91ÊÓƵ and become an engineer.

Donen, a sophomore biomedical engineering major, said, "I think this is a really important event because it's a lot of students' first exposure to STEM. It's really important to inspire the future Rose students."

The STEM Jubilee, nearly a year in the making, was inspired by a similar event Donen had experienced in high school, and she brought the idea to the Noblitt Scholars, who quickly agreed that the outreach mission was a noble one. 

Originally, the team intended it as a volunteer opportunity for Noblitt Scholars but soon found avid interest from other student organizations as well. The project leaders also worked closely with the Vigo County School Corporation to promote the event. The community's response to the first 91ÊÓƵ STEM Jubilee exceeded even the planning committee's expectations.

"I'm really happy with how it turned out," said STEM Jubilee Project Co-Lead Catherine Arrandale. "It made me smile to see parents and kids having fun and volunteers being engaged."

The team is already receiving requests to host the event next year, a testament to their planning and organization.

"It's a completely student-driven project," said Christine Buckley, PhD, associate professor of biology and biomedical engineering and faculty director of the Noblitt Scholars Program. "I'm just thrilled for the students who planned this."

The team hopes that the STEM Jubilee inspired a lifelong curiosity and craving for discovery that will help them blossom along their journeys as they grow up. 

91ÊÓƵ STEM Jubilee booth activities also included:

• Building harmonicas to understand sound and harmonics
• Visualizing diffraction grating and different wavelengths of light
• Finger knitting with textiles
• Decoding emoji binary to understand cybersecurity
• Building structures with raw noodles and marshmallows and testing structural integrity with Play-Doh
• Studying "soil samples" by examining cross-sections of favorite candies
• Operating robots with 91ÊÓƵ Robotics and FIRST Robotics Competition Team 5188
• Playing human cell trivia games
• Creating seed cups of native Indiana wildflowers to replace invasive species
• Designing and racing balloon-powered Lego cars
• Constructing bubble snakes with Make It Happen