Outreach

The School of Physical Sciences is committed to developing and participating in outreach opportunities for underrepresented students that will impact their awareness of and interest in Physical Sciences pathways. 

 

AirUCI Outreach

Part of AirUCI's mission is to share research results with the general public by providing outreach opportunities. This is done in addition to the many papers published in scientific journals that reach the scientific community and the multiple presentations given each year at high-level scientific conferences.

California Junior Science & Humanities Research

JSHS is a Tri-Service – U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force – program that encourages high school students to conduct original research in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). JSHS is a collaborative effort between the research arm of the Department of Defense and nationwide colleges and universities. JSHS aims to prepare and support students to contribute as future scientists and engineers, conducting STEM research on behalf of or directly for the Department of Defense (DoD), federal research laboratories to help advance the nation’s scientific and technological progress. Through JSHS, over 8,000 youth annually compete in 48 regional symposia covering the U.S., Puerto Rico, and DoD Dependent Schools in Europe and the Pacific to receive recognition, incentives, and scholarships for their research achievements.

CaSTL Center: Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit

The goal of CaSTL education and outreach is to increase exposure and interest in chemistry and CaSTL research. CaSTL currently offers outreach and educational programs targeted at K-12 students, teachers and families; undergraduate students; graduate students; and post-doctoral fellows. 

Chem-SURF

The Chemistry Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (Chem-SURF) at the University of California, Irvine, is a summer research opportunity for undergraduate students to gain valuable research experience in an academic setting. Participants will engage in original research guided by faculty mentors in UCI’s state-of-the-art research facilities. Students will attend presentations, workshops, and seminars related to career planning, industry, and applying to graduate school.

COSMOS

COSMOS (The California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science) is a 4 week, in-residence program for talented high school students hosted by the University of California, Irvine. COSMOS students apply to a specific “cluster”, with each cluster addressing advanced topics in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, including a variety of engineering disciples, pharmaceutical sciences, and computer science (to name a few).

First Gen Bees (First Generation Becoming an Earth and Environmental Scientist Program)

The First-Generation Becoming an Earth & Environmental Scientist program (First-Gen BEES) is a multi-day workshop for high school students who would-be the first-generation in their family to attend college (virtual in 2021; in person afterward).  The workshop is designed to teach some of the unwritten rules about college, graduate school, and becoming an Earth and Environmental Scientist. 

Furche High School Outreach Program (HSOP)

HSOP helps prepare students for a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career. The program is geared towards high school students who are unfamiliar with the academic environment and have few or no other opportunities to participate in research. High school students are introduced to a hands-on research experience in computational and theoretical chemistry. It combines computer science, physics, mathematics, and a whole lot of chemistry to solve scientific problems. The program is directed by Professor Furche and funded by the National Science Foundation.

LEAPS

UCI LEAPS (Laboratory Experiments and Activities in Physical Sciences) program, which offers local middle school students a “A Day at College” experience. The program intends to inspire younger students to pursue higher education in the physical sciences, and provides them with an opportunity to interact with scientists in the field. Students spend time in active chemistry and physics research laboratories performing hands-on experiments that are supplemented with demonstrations from participating lab members.

Nano Electrochemistry eXtensions to Technology (NEXTech)

NEXTech is an annual summer program of outreach to Orange County high school students, conducted by the laboratory of Prof. Reginald Penner.  Participants receive instruction in the fundamentals of Electrochemistry, including conducting experiments aimed at teaching important elements of this discipline.  A capstone mini-project - devised by each student - completes the 4-week program.

Orange County Regional Science Olympiad

Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing male, female and minority interest in science, creating a technologically-literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers.  These goals are achieved by participating in Science Olympiad tournaments and non-competitive events, incorporating Science Olympiad into classroom curriculum and attending teacher training institutes.

Research Saturday

Research Saturday is an event held annually each spring. It is a day where Chemistry majors and honors students in the organic lab series who are interested in undergraduate research can visit labs to get an idea of what research areas interest them and which labs they are interested in joining.

SoCal Undergrad Research Symposium 

UC Irvine SoCal Undergraduate Chemistry Symposium is a day of science where you can discuss and hear the latest about chemistry and graduate programs with your peers from UC Irvine and other research institutions.

The UCI Chemistry Outreach Program

The UCI Chemistry Outreach Program are teams of graduate and undergraduate students that visit local K–12 schools to perform demonstrations and talk about chemistry. The program is done at no cost to the host schools and provides all materials.

MATHCOUNTS

Mathcounts is a nationwide program designed to boost the mathematical competency of middle school students in our public school system. The program features a series of competitions with many rounds for teams and individuals at the regional, state, and national levels.

UCI Math Circle

The UCI Math Circle offers two weekly math enrichment sessions for high school and middle school students in the community every week. The main goal to enhance appreciation of mathematics, and teach interesting mathematics not covered in a typical school curriculum.

Math CEO

UC Irvine Math CEO is a free mathematics enrichment program developed by faculty at UC Irvine to serve the underprivileged community of Santa Ana, while developing future teachers of mathematics. Our program introduces kids to critical and mathematical thinking at a young age while providing a road-map to a college education in STEM and hope for a brighter future.

Adventures in Physics

Adventures in Physics is an annual public event that promotes physics for all ages. The event includes a series of lessons depicting concepts of physics through live experiments and demonstrations. After the demonstrations, a UCI physicist will give a lecture on his/her work. A Q&A for high school students about life in college will conclude the event.

Astronomy Outreach Program

The Astronomy Outreach Program run by Professor Tammy Smecker-Hane brings lectures, hands-on activities in astronomy, and star or Sun-gazing with portable telescopes to K-12 grade classes or public groups for a nominal fee and organizes on-campus viewing events such as solar and lunar eclipses. Learn more at https://www.physics.uci.edu/~observat/epo.

Rising Stars Girls

Rising Stargirls is dedicated to encouraging girls of all colors and backgrounds to learn, explore, and discover the universe. The program does this by engaging girls in interactive astronomy workshops using theater, writing, and visual art to address each girls as a whole. This provides an avenue for individual self-expression and personal exploration that is interwoven with scientific engagement and discovery.

STROBE

STROBE is an NSF Science and Technology Center coordinating six institutions across the US to build the microscopes of tomorrow. Our research includes visible, x-ray, nano-probe, and electron microscopy, and has applications across materials science, basic physics and chemistry, and biological systems.

CLEAN

Addressing climate change through Learning, Empowerment, Action and Networking, CLEAN Education was founded on the belief that education is the essential foundation for global climate change solutions. CLEAN Education is a program designed to supplement existing elementary (1st-8th grade) science education. The problems presented by global climate change can seem overwhelming, often leading to apathy and inaction. By combining practical information with a fun, engaging, play-based learning environment, CLEAN Education fosters a positive attitude that empowers children to take meaningful action.