On Monday, December 2, 2024, DelranSTEM kicked off their first Family Night of the year, “Her Royal Scientist: Fingerprints and Chromatography,” as part of the Delran Who Done It? theme. Spanning two hours, the event invited the community to join DelranSTEM in the FabLab and learn about forensic science, such as chemical reactions, fingerprinting, and chromatography.
Led by Supervisor of Science, Technology, Engineering, Sustainability and Co-STEM Coordinator Erica DeMichele, participants engaged in three different engaging STEM activities from an activity kit. All participants were gifted a COSI “Her Royal Scientist” activity kit, which included the materials not only for the evening’s event but also supplies to keep the learning momentum going at home with hands-on STEM activities. The kit comes with activity books, materials, and additional online resources and videos aligned with science standards.
STEMbassadors, which are high school student volunteers trained to help in the FabLab, were on-hand to provide assistance as well. As families were arriving, STEMbassadors provided them with their own activity kits to keep. Sophomore STEMbassador Josie Davis was observed hyping attendees excitement for the evening comparing the activities to the Sherlock Holmes books, and also helped our young scientists feel comfortable and get to know each other’s names and classes. Each STEMbassador who volunteered this evening helped at least two families with the COSI STEM activities.
The first activity, “Create a Chemical Reaction,” students brainstormed the qualities of a good observer. In their discussion, some traits shared included being a good listener, paying attention to details, and using all our senses when investigating. They then observed Mrs. DeMichele perform an experiment with a graduated cylinder, hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and yeast. After discussing the chemical reaction that happened to make “elephant toothpaste” in the demonstration, participants were encouraged to make elephant toothpaste of their own at home. STEMbassadors assisted participants in lab safety, ensuring all parents, caregivers, and children had safety goggles for the experiment.
As they transitioned to the second activity, “Solve the Crime,” we began by learning about fingerprints and dactylographers. Common fingerprint patterns were shown and discussed, encouraging students to learn their fingerprint patterns. STEMbassadors at each table demonstrated how to roll their fingertips in the ink to create prints on the paper. After participants took prints for each of their fingers and thumbs, STEMbassadors Suhani Patel, Minnah Khan, Iris Li, Allison Lucuski, Emma Wynn, and Ireland Reynolds were observed helping participants analyze their type of fingerprints to share with the group, along with Mrs. Mary-Jo Hutchinson (Co-Coordinator of STEM Initiatives/Coordinator of Gifted & Talented Education/Supervisor of Mathematics, Business, & Robotics), who also provided statistics about how participants’ prints compared to the global population.
After learning their own prints, participants were tasked to solve a crime – someone had stolen a dinosaur fossil from the museum! After receiving clues, including a fingerprint left on the fossil’s display case, participants solved the crime to determine “who done it.” They were tasked with citing evidence to support the claims about the suspect they believed performed the crime.
The final activity, “Hidden Colors,” introduced the origins of chromatography. Students examined the ink on a note to determine who wrote it. They were tasked to use the traits of good observation discussed earlier in the event to examine the colors before creating their own using pipecleaners, a filter, and markers to make colorful flowers.
Light refreshments were provided by the Delran Education Association through a FAST Grant. Additional funding for the program was provided by the DelranSTEM Ecosystem Alliance and the school district. Thank you to all of our partners and volunteers! Over 100 attendees enjoyed this program and the refreshments.
If you enjoyed this activity, please join us at our upcoming family nights! Read more and register at our “Events” page here.
Comments