This Spring, STEMCAP teamed up with a group of Undergraduates from the Community Engaged Learning program at the University of Utah. Four groups of students from the CEL classrooms either presented on conservation topics or engaged with a Pen Pal program organized by STEMCAP.
Group one – Riley and Amira – presented for our students at Salt Lake Valley Youth Center on the topic of Conservation Biology and Biodiversity. The students explored the importance of population regulation and the many different occupations that attend to Biodiversity loss.
Group two – Jack and Britta – presented at Farmington Bay Youth Center as a part of our Mission STEMCAP: Overconsumption series to talk about Environmental Justice. They discussed the effects of environmental issues on urban areas and how problems like pollution are perpetuated and concentrated in low-income areas.
Group three – Sydney, Skye, Matt, and Carson – put together a special series of presentations about the process and the reasons for applying for college. They split their presentation into four sections: navigating the application and testing process, a description of the different higher education options, how to apply for financial aid, and how to choose a major.
Group four participated in a semester-long pen-pal program with five of our secure-care students. STEMCAP is looking to extend and expand this pilot program, hopefully giving our students access to correspondence with other scientists, professionals, and University students!