More than 120 middle school students from across Connecticut attended the 2018 Flipped Science Fair, an initiative of the Yale Science Diplomats that turned the traditional science fair format on its head.
How? Instead of the middle schoolers, it was Yale scientists who were in the hot seat.
In mid October, more than 30 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows presented their research to the middle schoolers, who served as judges. The presenters honed their science communication skills in a series of workshops leading up to the event. The student judges got the chance to interact with and learn from real scientists. Topics ranged from neuroscience to quantum physics to environmental studies.
Between the poster sessions, the young students had the opportunity to participate in a variety of demo sessions, during which they could learn how to extract DNA from strawberries, see and touch dinosaur bones, and much more.
THANK YOU!!! You and your team did an INCREDIBLE job. I was most impressed and appreciative of your efforts, patience, and deep commitment to this work. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of it.
One of 120 students judges who participated in the 2018 Flipped Science Fair
The event was made possible by a Public Engagement Grant from the American Society of Cell Biology, supported by Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation, as well as the Kavli Institute for Neuroscience.