Community outreach at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN), an academic unit shared by UNC Greensboro and N.C. A&T State University, goes beyond highlighting its advanced research facilities.
Through STEM education programs, laboratory tours, and hands-on learning experiences, JSNN makes it easy for North Carolina students and community members to understand what nanoscience and nanoengineering research can offer.
“The JSNN outreach program aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, strengthen community partnerships, advance STEM education, and expand JSNN’s impact,” says Dr. Nafisa Sirelkhatim, Senior Research Associate.
This engagement makes science approachable, sparks innovation, and creates meaningful connections between researchers and the populations they serve — furthering UNCG’s intentional efforts to deliver STEM learning throughout the region.
UNCG STEM Outreach Programs Connects Community to Nanoscience
Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Sherine Obare understands the value of investing in workforce development, especially as STEM and advanced manufacturing companies expand in the Triad.
“Inspiring kids by giving them hands-on opportunities with science and introducing them to working scientists is the first step in a pipeline that goes from elementary and high school to college education to careers in STEM. Building and strengthening that pathway is one of the reasons UNCG exists,” says Obare.
JSNN Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education Daniel Rabinovich agrees. He explains that community outreach raises public awareness of how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) impact society at every level.
“It’s about more than recruiting students for our graduate programs,” he says. “Scientific outreach contributes to technical literacy by explaining what scientists and engineers are doing to solve problems while giving the community a deeper appreciation for the value of STEM education and scientific research.”
This spring and summer, JSNN outreach events welcomed groups of all ages — middle and high schoolers in the early stages of career exploration, undergrads, prospective graduate students, and community volunteers. A combination of lab tours, research demonstrations, and conversations with faculty encouraged diverse groups of visitors to redefine and explore their relationships with the hard sciences.
Hands-On Nanoscience and STEM Learning Experiences at JSNN
Whether visitors were stepping into a research laboratory for the very first time or actively considering careers in science and engineering, JSNN offers much more than a simple facility tour.
Each outreach event is crafted to demystify STEM and make advanced scientific research more relevant and accessible to a variety of groups. Participants are encouraged to interact with innovative technology, ask questions, and explore how real researchers collaborate to solve problems.
From future scientists to public policy influencers, JSNN visitors leave the laboratory with the message that curiosity drives innovation.
Recent STEM Outreach Events at JSNN
Recent outreach activities connected JSNN with people across North Carolina, including:
- Hayes-Taylor Memorial YMCA Program: Approximately 30 middle and high school students visited JSNN for laboratory tours, research demonstrations, and interactive activities led by faculty and graduate students. The visit introduced them to nanoscience research while encouraging them to explore future STEM opportunities.
- Bethany Community School: Twenty-one high schoolers toured the facility and learned how nanoscience and nanoengineering combine across scientific disciplines to address real-world challenges.
- UNCG SACNAS Chapter: Members of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science visited JSNN to explore graduate research opportunities and potential pathways into advanced STEM education.
- North Carolina Central University DREAM STEM Program: Students participating in NCCU’s DREAM STEM program, a project centered around science entrepreneurship, toured the research facility for a firsthand look at the school’s graduate programs and interdisciplinary research environment.
- Kiwanis Club of Greensboro: Volunteer education advocates explored JSNN’s laboratories, attended presentations on nanotechnology research, and interacted with graduate students demonstrating sophisticated electron microscopy equipment.
- ExPlorers Summer Program: Students in grades 10 through 12 engaged in a week-long immersive STEM initiative, encouraging critical thinking, hands-on learning and real-world problem-solving, with an emphasis on phosphorus sustainability.
How JSNN Inspires Future Scientists, Engineers, and STEM Leaders
For many visitors, meeting the students and researchers behind the science is just as impactful as seeing the technology itself. Graduate student Maggie Mahanes has participated in numerous outreach activities and believes those personal interactions fundamentally change how people view STEM.
“Science can often seem intimidating,” she says. “Outreach events give people an opportunity to explore STEM in a fun way, helping them realize that science is something they can understand and enjoy.”
These experiences don’t just benefit visitors. They also help graduate students develop valuable communication and leadership skills as they explain complex concepts to audiences with different backgrounds and levels of experience.
“JSNN students who participate gain valuable experience engaging with community members,” Sirelkhatim says.
As visitors leave with a greater appreciation for science, graduate students become stronger educators and ambassadors — furthering the mission of JSNN beyond the laboratory.
Written by Jenna Hall, AMBCopy
Photos provided by Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering
