The education of STEM is sought-after more than ever in today’s society. As this field is a meta-discipline, combining studies from areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM graduates are constantly innovating for modern society. 

Women have obtained a majority of the degrees in STEM majors like psychology, and biological sciences, yet still remain underrepresented in many fields, including engineering and computer science. 

The gender gap that exists in this workforce cannot be blamed on contrasts in academics, instead, outside factors like limited role models and stereotypes.  

The members of Women in Stem are taking initiatives to promote activities outside the school walls and recently connected with Beacons Place Community Center in Waukegan to teach children about DNA and its history. 

“We have done a lot of activities in the school to promote STEM, but we also wanted to reach out to the community and little kids to inspire a passion for science and math earlier,” said senior member Kate Johnson.

Lake Forest High School’s Women in Stem visited Beacons Place on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The club members and sponsors were looking to demonstrate and provide an activity that was engaging and also made the science the students were learning about tactical. 

“One of the aspects of this club when it was first envisioned by the students who drove the pilot year of the club was to try to do outreach to younger students to encourage their interest in STEM fields,” said sponsor Mrs. Andrea Lemke. 

During the 2020 pandemic, it became very difficult for the group to connect with younger students.

“We were able to make some science lab ‘kits’ for a different organization, but we were not able to go see younger students ourselves or use those kits with them,” said Lemke. 

The club was eager to partner with Beacon’s Place because of their reputation as a great community organization that offers after school programs for kids. 

They had previously experimented with a lab where members had extracted DNA from a strawberry, and physically interacted with its DNA. Women in Stem really enjoyed this activity and recognized that it was something younger students could experiment with.

After pulling off green leaves, they instructed the students to put the strawberries in plastic bags and lighty crush all the berries. They then made DNA extraction liquid out of detergent, salt and water and mixed it in to further break open the cells. 

“This was a very easy experiment for the kids and they seemed to really enjoy smashing up the strawberries, but were also intrigued by the actual science and seeing this DNA,” said senior member Caroline Lee. 

Using rubbing alcohol, they isolated the DNA from the rest of the material inside the cells. Students were able to engage in this simple experiment and even pick up the white cloudy substance – DNA.

After the lab, the club members taught the young students about Rosalind Franklin: a British scientist who played a tremendous role in the discovery of the structure of DNA. 

The club has an upcoming organizational meeting to plan future events for semester two and they are looking forward to hosting similar experiences.

“I can’t wait to do something like this again in the future, it was really great seeing how excited the kids got about science,” said Lee.