Underserved middle school children with a passion for science and technology will compete in science fair at UCLA Ackerman Union this weekend.
More than 80 students from three local middle schools will present their experiments at the event from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, April 22, 2017, in the UCLA Ackerman Grand Ballroom (2nd floor).
The young scientists will present their experiments to a panel of UCLA judges including physical chemistry professor Dr. Delroy Baugh, senior lecturer Dr. Steve Hardinger, and biochemistry professor Dr. Jose Rodriguez.
“I am looking forward to encouraging the development of young scientists” said Hardinger.
The science fair is being organized by The Bruin Experiment, a club started by UCLA undergraduates to help children pursue their interests in science.
The Bruin Experiment, a club started three years ago by UCLA alumus Daniel Haiem, now a Brown University medical student, aims to help children from underserved communities pursue their technological and scientific interests. UCLA students in the club work with students from three local middle school/groups: Palms Middle School, LACES and Lake Avenue Community Foundation, to help them create their experiments.
“Our mission is to inspire scientific curiosity in underserved youths through the orchestration of self-initiated science fairs,” Haiem said. “Our goal is two-fold: Firstly, we aim to inspire our underserved students to see science as a philosophy – a way of engaging curiosity in an enjoyable manner – by providing them with funding and mentorship to remove both technical and fiscal barriers in exploring their scientific ideas. Second, we wish to encourage them to pursue STEM careers with confidence. After visiting selected schools over 15 weeks to guide our students through scientific projects of their own choosing, we invite them to UCLA for a science fair where they present their findings to proud parents and esteemed UCLA faculty for valuable feedback, and as a means to encourage them to realize their own incredible potential as scientists.”
“Our current president is Eitan Haik, who has done a phenomenal job this year,” Haiem said. “However, each and every one of our members makes a valuable contribution to our organization and helps us inspire countless young minds every year.”
“There is no charge for the event,” Haiem said. “but donations are always welcome and made good use of.”
