Today we taught at aSTEAM Village in Kansas City, a summer program focusing on STEM and art education. This was easily our largest learning festival, with about 80 students total! With all the enthusiasm and energy around us, the day went by quickly. Thank you aSTEAM village for the opportunity to meet all of the wonderful students!
Bill and I taught a workshop called "Decoding DNA", where we taught biology and genetics through a strawberry DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis (technique of separating DNA based on its length). We wanted to show the students an experiment they could do at home, as well as one exactly like scientists and engineers would use in their own research - something many wouldn't be able to do until college. At the end of the workshop, we talked about the future of biology and bioengineering research, both in the next five years and many years in the future. Connecting the experiments to their own lives, I hoped the students would understand the importance of biology and medical research and be inspired by my passion in genetics to learn more.
I also talked with some of the teaching assistants about MIT and college life in general. It was fascinating to hear about living in Kansas City, a world away from growing up in Hawaii.
After we finished teaching, we went back to our amazing hosts' (the Hensels) home, ate a quick snack, packed up the van, and started biking from Kansas City to Gardner. It was a fun ride along a shaded, winding path. We met our host, Brian Link, at his house and were treated to an amazing enchilada dinner. Our first century ride is tomorrow, and I'm so excited!