Universities are charged with educating students, incubating research and discovery, and forging community connections. This third category — sometimes called “engagement,” sometimes as “outreach” — is one in which UNLV’s College of Sciences shines.

According to Eric Chronister, dean of the college, there are about 50 unique and ongoing community outreach efforts spearheaded by science and math faculty alone.

“We have talented faculty members who care about others,” Chronister said. “And while empathy isn’t necessary to be a good scientist, it is really nice when talent and empathy get paired — when you have knowledge and the desire to help others.”

From teaching advanced calculus in schools to bringing astronomy lectures into churches, faculty flex their ingenuity in reaching audiences beyond enrolled students. These efforts are successful, Chronister added, because we all have an innate curiosity about science and how the world works: “You could say it’s in our DNA.”

Here are five outreach programs from the sciences that Las Vegans of all ages have come to know and love:

Science & Engineering Fair

Hundreds of science-minded young people flock annually to campus for the Beal Bank USA Southern Nevada Regional Science & Engineering Fair, a competition and celebration of science and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) research sponsored by Nevada-based Beal Bank USA.

(What does a bank have to do with science? It’s a passion of Beal Bank founder Andy Beal, who has donated millions to science and math education in the U.S.)

Participation in the fair is divided into three divisions — elementary, middle school, and high school students from across the state. Students show up eager to test their mettle as burgeoning researchers, whether their interest is in the social sciences, chemistry, medicine, or something else. In fact, there are eight submission categories in total for high school students, with winners potentially eligible to receive prizes and participate in the international competition.

Rebel Science Camp

Rebel Science Camp is a half-day adventure for local fifth graders who attend under-resourced schools. The camp — the brainchild of UNLV geologist Alison Sloat — shows students real-world applications of how science impacts their daily lives.

Students are on campus for a half a day to take part in various hands-on activities — a few of which are also delicious. They can include excavating chocolate chips from cookies to learn mining skills or making s’mores in ovens powered by the sun. These activities expose students to different fields of the natural sciences, promote critical thinking, and begin planting the seeds to eventually study science in college.

Rebel Science Camp is held weekly from February through April. 

Resident Scientists-in-Schools

Rebel Science Camp isn’t the only program that Sloat leads: She is also the powerhouse behind the Resident Scientists-in-Schools program, which pairs graduate students with local teachers to assist with science curriculum and hands-on activities. 

The program’s goal is to increase college preparedness and expand and diversify the population of students interested in studying science. But practically speaking, it makes learning about science more fun, and the program is already yielding results: Students have increased their interest in and understanding of climate change, are more interested in STEM careers, and are more enthusiastic about science overall. The graduate students also benefit by gaining real-world experience as teachers and communicators.

Science Café

The Science Café Las Vegas lets you indulge your scientific curiosity over a friendly beverage the first Wednesday of every month at McMullan’s Irish Pub. The Science Café features short presentations and fascinating discussions that are still quite rigorous.

For example, did you know that the surveillance of wastewater could play a critical role in targeting emerging public health crises such as the opioid epidemic? That’s the topic of the Sept. 6, 2023 event, featuring speaker Dan Gerrity, principal research microbiologist with the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Gerrity will speak to how wastewater surveillance data can potentially help reduce, and more rapidly respond to, opioid overdoses.

Astronomy on Tap

If astronomy, beer, and trivia is your jam, check out Astronomy on Tap. Now an international phenomenon, Astronomy on Tap was established in 2013 by a postdoctoral researcher at Yale looking for an excuse to socialize with other stargazers in New York City. The idea caught on. As quickly as the gatherings gained popularity in the Big Apple, they also spread to Europe, Asia, South America, and Las Vegas. 

Astronomy on Tap, Las Vegas, sponsored by the Nevada Center for Astrophysics, engages the community through 21-and-over astronomy-focused events hosted at Astronomy Aleworks in Henderson. Events include space- and science-fiction-themed trivia, short outreach talks from UNLV faculty and professionals, prizes, and even astronomy-themed beer. To learn more about upcoming events, connect with the Las Vegas chapter on Instagram or Facebook.

To learn more about the College of Sciences outreach events, email Director of Communications Erica Corliss at erica.corliss@unlv.edu.