STEAM Expo Days

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Use magnetic marbles representing protons and neutrons to model a nucleus, then smash it to pieces just like scientists at MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams! FRIB is a world-leading laboratory for creating and studying rare isotopes that don’t exist on Earth. This is your chance to create exotic nuclei and discover more about FRIB research!

Learn more about A Smashing Time with Nuclei at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

What is machine learning? This presentation will introduce fundamental concepts of machine learning, a study that has created a "fourth industrial revolution" in the world. Participants will be guided through the main ideas of machine learning and participate in a machine learning activity. The presentation also will include an overview of the strengths/advantages and challenges of machine learning. 

Learn more about AI School: An Introduction to Machine Learning

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Every day we turn on our faucets, showers, dishwashers, laundry machines, and countless other water-dependent conveniences without stopping to consider: Where does all that water come from? For the tri-county region of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties, 100% of our water comes from below ground. Through a private well or a public utility, we all rely heavily on groundwater. Stop by and learn all about groundwater as we build the region’s Saginaw Aquifer in a Cup!

Learn more about All About Groundwater: Saginaw's Aquifer in a Cup

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Movement plays an important role in our life—from everyday activities like walking, to activities like sports or dance that require years and years of practice. Do you know how well you move? In this presentation, find out how technology helps us understand how to measure human movement, motor skills, and how we use this knowledge to help people with movement impairments.

Learn more about Are You the Next Olympic Athlete? Learn How to Measure Movement and Motor Skills

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age

Rewild and reconnect with nature with the Beal Botanical Garden! Take a peek into the tiny world of pollinators using our microscopes and discover how pollinators help plants thrive. Then mix and match unexpected plants to create a your own custom tea bag, bringing a dose of nature home with you!

Learn more about Beal: Rewilding and Reconnecting

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

This interactive program showcases how plants defend themselves and adapt to their environments. Participants will explore physical and chemical defenses, observe insects interacting with protected and unprotected plants, and link plant defense chemicals to everyday items like coffee and disinfectants. A Lego challenge lets participants design tomato plants to survive stressors like drought or herbivory. Through hands-on activities, demonstrations, and real-world connections, the program highlights the importance of plant defenses, their ecological roles, and the need for sustainable practices. Fun, accessible, and relevant, it’s perfect for all ages.

Learn more about Botanical Battlegrounds: Adapt, Survive, and Thrive!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Blow bubbles and see if you can balance them on your hands!

Learn more about Bouncing Bubbles

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Use your creativity and build with us!

Learn more about Building Station

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) are microscopic roundworms used as model organisms in biological research. Part of their power as model organisms is that they are inexpensive, fast to raise, have a transparent body for ease of observation, and are simple with a complete sequenced genome. Although 1 mm long, C. elegans share multiple organ systems and genes with humans, making them an ideal tool for studying fundamental biological processes, genetics, aging, and various diseases. In this program, students will get to observe C. elegans under a microscope and learn how they are grown, behave, and move through multiple hands-on crafts and activities. 

Learn more about C. Elegans: A Tiny Worm with a Big Impact

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

There are over 800 million cats worldwide, with more than half living outdoors. A single unspayed female cat and her offspring can potentially produce thousands of kittens within a few years! This session examines the causes of rapid population growth and the impacts of cat overpopulation on communities. Explore effective management strategies like Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and using cats for rodent control while discovering ways to support outdoor cats. Learn practical skills, such as creating DIY shelters using simple household materials, to provide essential resources for these cats and promote their well-being. Join us to gain hands-on experience in supporting outdoor cats while addressing population concerns!

Learn more about Cats Are Taking Over the World! How Can We Help

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Learn about the chemistry of vision, smell, and taste! Poster presentations will provide scientific principles behind the human senses and the molecules associated with them. Hands-on activities will keep kids of all ages involved and engaged!

Learn more about Chemistry of the Human Senses

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Explore color mixing by seeing what happens when you add water to art! Create beautiful butterflies using markers and coffee filters. 

Learn more about Chromatography Butterflies

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Crops can’t run from danger, so how do they survive scorching heat, dry soil, or hungry insects? Step up to the C-SPIRIT booth and become a Crop Defender! Explore real crop samples, pick up colorful defense cards, and decide which protection each crop uses to stay healthy. Then check your answers to discover the secret: Crops make special natural helpers, tiny compounds that keep them healthy during heat, drought, and pest attacks. See how these natural defenses help farmers grow strong crops and support a more sustainable future for agriculture.

Learn more about Crop Defenders

Appropriate for: All Ages

The MSU Campus Archaeology Program works to mitigate and protect the archaeological resources on campus. The Campus Archaeology Program (CAP) works with multiple departments across the university to make sure that this cultural heritage is protected. Each construction project on campus that disturbs the earth is properly mitigated by CAP. Materials and artifacts that are recovered by CAP are then processed and analyzed in a lab and eventually brought out to the public at outreach events. CAP works to contribute to the public understanding of MSU’s cultural heritage through contributions to academic journals, giving talks and presentations on campus, and developing outreach opportunities throughout the community. 

Learn more about Digging Up the Past: MSU Campus Archaeology Program

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

At the Moral Minds Lab, we study how we become moral beings. Using insights and techniques from social and developmental psychology, we conduct fun, game-like studies with children (ages 3-12) and adults to explore how our social environments and culture shape our morals.   

Learn more about Discover How Children Think with the Moral Minds Lab!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Learn more about DNA: The Microscopic, But Berry Important Molecule

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Elementary particles are the building blocks of everything around us, making up atoms on the smallest scales. Scientists use huge machines like particle accelerators and underground laboratories to investigate them and learn how to use their properties to discover new technology. Using simple detectors, you can see these particles for yourself! We'll use muon detectors to investigate cosmic rays from outer space, a cloud chamber to see the decay products of radioactivity, and a live stream from particle experiments around the world. Learn about the experiments at MSU and beyond that are investigating the smallest particles in the universe!

Learn more about Elementary Particles: Detecting the Invisible

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Many people know their clinical specimens get sent to the medical laboratory, but what happens next? Who performs the testing, and how is it done? Visit the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics table, do hands-on activities, and learn about the scientists who perform medical laboratory testing every day!

Learn more about Explore Medical Laboratory Science!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

This program is intended to educate the public on the science of optics and photonics through presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. A poster presentation will showcase applications of optics in our daily life, from cameras, LCD displays, 3D movies, optical communications, and advanced optical sensors. The on-site demonstrations and hands-on activities will present and explain interesting optical phenomena including light transmission and reflection, light polarizations, fiber optics, and lasers.

Learn more about Explore the Science of Light

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Discover how corn plants grow and “recycle” themselves as they develop. Explore the life cycle of this incredible plant, learn how low nutrition affects its growth, how corn cells are organized, and about their natural repair processes.
But that’s not all . . . grab a jar with colorful glass-gem Indian corn kernels for planting at home, and enjoy some yummy popcorn while you're here! It’s science, snacks, and fun all in one place!

Learn more about Exploring Growth and Self-Recycling with Corn!

Appropriate for: Elementary school age, Middle school age

A decorative dam divides two pools of water. In the “downstream” pool, there will be a group of plastic fishes. Participants must move the good (native) fish past the dam, while keeping the bad (invasive) fish away. Participants will identify native and invasive fish based on a Fish ID guide with pictures. If the participants move enough good fish past the dam within the time limit, and with reasonable accuracy, then they get a prize!

Learn more about Fish Filter Frenzy

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Institute of Agricultural Technology as we explore the amazing intersections between food and health. We will be hosting tours of our one-of-a-kind Mobile Food Processing Laboratory, conducting hands-on demos, as well as talking more about the food science, dietetics, and human nutrition majors. Come have a FOOD time with us!

Learn more about Food Science, Human Nutrition, and Your Health

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Figuring out where something is from and where it has been are important questions for many different fields of science. Ecologists often study where different animals migrate and how their diet changes over time. Environmental scientists need to determine where pollution is coming from and who should be responsible for cleaning it up. Stable isotopes can provide key insights that help answer the “Where?”, “When?”, “Who?”, and “In what magnitude?” questions that different types of scientists ask.

Learn more about From Meals to Molecules: Solving Mysteries with Stable Isotopes

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Explore how Earth’s water systems are connected through the flow of water! In this interactive exhibit, participants will engage with physical models and digital demonstrations to explore how water moves through the environment. Participants can pour water onto a 3D-printed landscape and watch how it makes its way downstream, digitally place a drop of water somewhere in the U.S. and follow its path to the ocean, and observe how water moves along Earth’s surface as we add water to a physical model.

Learn more about Go with the Flow: Exploring the Movement of Water!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Learn about how plants interact with their environment, including different climates and their insect mutualists. We will bring plant specimens from the Plant Biology Conservancy to illustrate how plants can be adapted to different environments. We will also bring plants that will help illustrate plant-insect interactions, such as carnivorous plants, flowering plants, and ant plants. Kids can participate in a matching game to determine which plants go with which insects. We will also provide coloring pages with information on native Michigan plants that people can take with them.

Learn more about Grow Your Botanical Knowledge

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Explore the genetics behind taste and smell! Join us for hands-on activities including DNA Building Blocks, an inheritance simulation, a PTC Taste Test, and a Cilantro Smell Test. Discover how your genes influence what you taste and smell, determine which traits are passed from parents to offspring, and build a DNA model to understand the structure that makes it all possible. Fun for all ages—come learn how genetics shapes your sensory world!

Learn more about Heredity Mix and Match

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Science is something that anyone can do anywhere. Learn how to create physics experiments you can recreate at home using everyday household items!

Learn more about Homemade Physics

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Discover the functions and values of wetlands during a hands-on exploration of the Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater Management’s “Ecological Restoration in Your Watershed” model. Participants will make it rain over a residential area, farm, shopping center, factory, marina, and construction site, then see how pollutants travel from land uses into our waterways. Visualize how restoring wetlands and creating buffer zones filters pollutants from stormwater runoff and reduces flooding, and how constructed wetlands work. Become empowered with steps everyone can take to protect our natural resources and improve watershed health.  

Learn more about How Do Watersheds Work and Why Are Wetlands Important?

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Step into the world of plant scientists and explore how plants live, grow, and thrive! Our booth brings the cellular world of plants to life through exciting hands-on activities for all ages. You can look inside a leaf under the microscope, walk through a giant model of a plant cell, and watch flowers “drink” colored water to reveal how plants transport nutrients. Learn about the tools we use as plant biologists and discover how much goes on inside every green leaf around you!

Learn more about Inside the Green World: Peek at Cells and Watch Flowers Drink!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has opened up a whole new way of seeing materials. Instead of being limited to light microscopes, scientists can use subatomic electrons to create pictures never before seen. Visit a materials science laboratory and learn about SEMs. Use the scanning electron microscope to view insects, human hair, ceramics, metals, computer chips, glasses, composites, etc. You will also be able to participate in other hands-on demonstrations (involving metals, plastics, ceramics, and composites) highlighting materials science and engineering.

Learn more about Life Beneath the Naked Eye

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Build your favorite shape using marshmallows and toothpicks!

Learn more about Marshmallow Structures

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Since April 2020, MI Diaries has been collecting weekly “audio diaries” from Michiganders through a mobile app. We demonstrate how we collect stories, how we share the funniest, most reflective, or most interesting stories with the public, and how we do language science analysis of the recordings. Visitors will learn about word choice and pronunciation differences, and they will also get a chance to contribute a story of their own to the project. 

Learn more about MI Diaries: Tell Your Story for Linguistic Analysis

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

The MI Water Source! Enviroscape Education program aims to raise awareness about the importance of water and protecting our health. The program uses an interactive model to demonstrate how everyday activities can contribute to water pollution and contamination. The program highlights how these activities can impact water sources used for drinking, such as surface water and groundwater. Through this demonstration, participants will learn how to reduce those impacts and protect their health!

Learn more about MI Water Source! Enviroscape Education Demonstration

Appropriate for: All Ages

Sharks are often misunderstood, feared, and underappreciated. This interactive program aims to engage children in understanding the critical role sharks play in maintaining the health of oceans through exploring shark anatomy and their importance as apex predators. We will discuss the threats they face and provide steps that kids can take to protect sharks. Our objectives are to teach children why sharks are vital to ocean ecosystems, demonstrate how sharks' unique anatomy helps them thrive, and educate them about the alarming shark populations statistics, and inspire young people to become advocates for shark conservation.

Learn more about Ocean Guardians—Learn About Sharks and How You Can Protect Them

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Biosystems engineers integrate biology and engineering to solve problems related to food, health, energy, and the environment. MSU’s Biosystems Engineering (BE) Club invites children of all ages to learn about the properties of biological materials and, more specifically, non-Newtonian fluids. A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid that changes its thickness, or viscosity, when force is applied to it. This experiment will allow children to participate in a hands-on and engaging experiment to test and learn how different starches affect the Oobleck’s texture and reaction to force.

Learn more about Oozing Oobleck: Fun With Biological Materials

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

The MSU College of Human Medicine/College of Osteopathic Medicine Pathology Interest Group is comprised of medical students and pathologists who are dedicated to enriching medical and community understanding through interactive educational sessions about pathology. Our focus is to increase awareness about pathology and its importance in patient care, laboratory workflow, career options via medical or nonmedical pathways, and this specialty’s future directions. The MSU Pathology Interest Group is excited to spread its message to the younger generations and continue this vital mission, especially as this field faces a workforce shortage.

Learn more about Pathology and Laboratory Medicine: A Day in the Life

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Women and Minorities in the Physical Sciences (WaMPS) is a graduate student organization whose purpose is to build community and empower underrepresented groups in the physical sciences. Explore the different properties of light through interactive demos with current MSU graduate students. Our focus is to demystify various scientific topics, as well as build participant confidence that anyone can be a scientist!

Learn more about Phantastic Physics! Interactive Science Demos

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Play a game of Safety Bingo! There are many things kept in the laboratory in order to keep scientists safe. Learn about lab coats, goggles, gloves and more by playing a round of Safety Bingo. Hosted by the Research Safety Team (RST) from the Department of Chemistry at Michigan State University.

Learn more about Play Bingo to Learn About Lab Safety

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Experience the exciting world of electrochemistry and energy storage through engaging demonstrations and interactive models. Batteries are at the heart of modern technology from smartphones and electric vehicles to renewable energy storage. Our goal is to help students understand how batteries store and deliver energy, and how advances in materials science, such as metal–sulfur and metal–ion chemistries, are paving the way for safer, more sustainable energy solutions.

Learn more about Powering the Future: Understanding Batteries Through Hands-On Electrochemistry

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Proteins are an important building block for all life. Not counting water, humans are about 41% protein. They make metabolism happen, make our muscles move, provide structure beyond the skeleton, and countless other functions. In fact proteins are so important that the U.S. government recommends that 10–35% of the total calories you consume be in form of protein. Because protein is so important, measuring protein amounts is one of the most common methods biochemists use. Join the MSU Biochemistry Club in a quick hands-on experiment to measure protein amounts in some common foods. Our students will show you how it’s really done in the laboratory. You will have the opportunity to learn all about how protein measurements work and see and use some of the advanced instrumentation used to make these measurements.

Learn more about Protein Power: Learn How to Measure Life's Building Blocks

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Uranium, plutonium, and radium, oh my! Come learn about radioactive material including many of the beneficial ways it is used in your day-to-day life!

This is an FRIB-affiliated presentation. 

Learn more about Radioactive!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age

Help your children experience the joys of scientific exploration through a ramp and roll activity you can re-create at home!

Playing with ramps and things that roll helps children learn simple principles of physical science and engineering. A ramp is an example of a simple machine called an inclined plane.

“Work” has a specific meaning in physics involving the transfer of energy to an object and making it move. We don’t expect young children to know this. When we say that “simple machines make work easier,” we are using an accurate but child-friendly description of what simple machines do and how they help people.

Learn more about Ramp and Roll

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Get to know reptiles up close at this event offered by the MSU Herpetology Society, a student organization focusing on reptile education. Our goal is to reduce the negative stigma surrounding reptiles and bring more awareness to their conservation. We do this by bringing educational animals to the public. Participants will have an opportunity to interact with various reptile species and specimens. 

Learn more about Reptiles Alive!

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals that have been used for more than five decades. They are in our food packages, clothes, water, cars (including electric vehicles), food, cleaning products, and so much more. It is nearly impossible to not be exposed to PFAS, and these substances last a long time in the environment and in our bodies. Unfortunately, humans and animals can face health problems like cancer from PFAS. Learn how science can be used to remove PFAS from humans and the environment. Let us show how we solved this in dairy cattle and provide uncontaminated milk!

Learn more about Science and Zombie Molecules

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

We hear speech all the time, but did you know that we can also see speech? Acoustics is the scientific study of sounds, and speech acoustics allows us to measure specific properties of the sounds made when we speak. Special tools used in acoustics, known as spectrograms, not only allow us to measure speech, but actually allow us to see the speech signal. Learn how speech acoustics can be used in health care applications, such as to help in diagnosing neurological conditions that affect speech, and see your own speech live!

Learn more about Seeing Speech: Acoustics and Applications to Health Care

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

There are three basic tree measurements: height, diameter, and volume. These measurements are crucial for forestry practices. By assessing a tree’s height and diameter, we can gain insights into its volume, shape, and density. Identifying the tree species further enhances our understanding of the forest's composition, growth stages, wildlife habitats, and economic value. This demonstration will teach you how to measure tree dimensions, highlight the significance of these practices, and use an interactive application to evaluate the economic value of the trees you measure. This hands-on experience will deepen your understanding of tree measurement and its role in studying the natural world.

Learn more about Seeing the Trees for the Forest and the Forest for the Trees

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Discover which toys and other objects are located in our sensory bins! Stay and play with us for as long as you'd like.

Learn more about Sensory Bins

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Themes are STEAM! Practice the key social science method called thematic analysis with Ariel Cascio, anthropologist and assistant professor of bioethics and social justice. Thematic analysis involves paying close attention to pictures, words, and stories to find themes. Themes are central ideas that come up again and again. Come read and sort stories and comics featuring characters like the Hare and the Tortoise, Popeye, and Charlie Brown. What are the central ideas of these classic stories and jokes? Do they still apply to your life? Come tell us what you think.

Learn more about STEAM Themes: What Do Stories Teach Us?

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum in exploring STEM-based experiences! Launch a rocket, create a circuit, and so much more! Join our partners as well from the Leslie Science and Nature Center, which will feature live animals up close and other nature-based activities.

Learn more about STEM and Nature Activities with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Our lab will present a variety of interactive visual perception experiments for all ages to participate in. Through these experiments, we will demonstrate binocular vision, additive color mixing, the Stroop effect, our visual blind spot, multisensory integration, and persistence of vision. A variety of materials will be available, including instructions for each experiment, 3D glasses, spinning tops, rubber arms, and paper tubes. Each experiment is tied to a scientific phenomenon, and we hope to inform and inspire our audience!

Learn more about Magic of Vision