UW’s Science Initiative Roadshows Inspire STEM Across Wyoming

A University of Wyoming program that promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through hands-on learning reached nearly 8,000 K-12 students, educators and senior citizens across the state this past year.

UW’s Science Initiative Roadshow staff participated in 61 events in 15 Wyoming counties in 2024, reaching 7,957 Wyoming residents, including 7,144 K-12 students and 183 people at senior centers. The events included 14 STEM Days in various Cowboy State communities.

This is the UW program's largest reach since the program began in 2017, according to Science Initiative outreach and engagement co-directors Karagh Brummond, an Honors College assistant instructional professor, and Erin Klauk, a Department of Geology and Geophysics assistant lecturer.

The Science Initiative Roadshow is a team of UW undergraduate and graduate students, along with UW faculty members, that travels across the state facilitating hands-on learning in STEM. Most events target K-12 students with the goal of sparking excitement and curiosity in the sciences. The program collaborates with Wyoming K-12 teachers to integrate learning experiences into topics covered in respective classes, while linking activities to specific state science standards.

“This collaborative approach exposes students in Wyoming to innovative active-learning techniques and strengthens connections between UW and communities across the state,” Brummond and Klauk say. “Among the Roadshow program's goals is to help improve STEM interest statewide.”

UW’s Science Initiative Roadshow showed major growth this past year, reaching 2,400 more participants while hosting 37 more events and engaging with seven additional counties, compared to 2023. The program is set up for another record-breaking spring, with 14 outreach events across nine counties, including nine scheduled STEM Days.

Counties visited -- including schools and senior citizen centers -- were:

-- Albany County: Laramie Middle School; Laramie High School; Beitel, Indian Paintbrush, Linford and Spring Creek elementary schools; the UW Lab School; Snowy Range Academy; UW Early Care and Education Center; Eppson Senior Center; and Laramie Big Brothers Big Sisters.

-- Carbon County: Hanna/Elk Mountain/Medicine Bow Junior and Senior High School.

-- Converse County: Douglas High School.

-- Fremont County: Riverton and Shoshoni senior centers; and Wind River Elementary School.

-- Goshen County: Goshen County Senior Friendship Center; Southeast High School; and Southeast Elementary School.

-- Laramie County: Dildine, Freedom and Miller elementary schools; and Pine Bluffs Senior Center.

-- Lincoln County: Kemmerer Outdoor Discovery Day.

-- Niobrara County: Lusk Elementary School.

-- Park County: Livingston Elementary School; and Cody and Powell senior centers.

-- Sheridan County: The Hub on Smith.

-- Sublette County: Big Piney and LaBarge elementary schools; and Rendezvous Point Senior Center.

-- Sweetwater County: Truman Elementary School; Rock Springs High School; Young at Heart Senior Center; and Farson-Eden K-12 School.

-- Teton County: Jackson Hole Senior Center.

-- Uinta County: Aspen and Urie elementary schools.

-- Washakie County: Worland Senior Center.

“STEM Days would not be possible without the incredible support of our UW partners,” Brummond and Klauk say. “Their collaboration is instrumental in making these statewide events possible.”

Among the UW partners were the K-14 STEM Engineering Outreach Program; Science Kitchen; School of Energy Resources; Monteith Shop; Wyrkshop Mobile Makerspaces; Professor Danny Dale; Roadshow Outreach Assistants Program undergraduate and graduate students; and the SAE AWIM (A World In Motion) AmeriCorps Program.

External partners included the Wyoming Game and Fish Department; Wyoming conservation districts; National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center; Trout Unlimited; Wyoming Wildlife Federation; Bear River State Park; Northwest College; Farm Bureau; and Kemmerer Ranger District.

Representatives of UW departments or programs  interested in collaborating with the Science Initiative Roadshow program to bring hands-on STEM activities to students and communities across Wyoming can email Brummond at kmurph17@uwyo.edu or Klauk at eklauk@uwyo.edu.

For more information about UW’s Science Initiative Roadshow, visit the website here.