South Dakota Mines Students Bring Science to Life at YFS Harvest Festival
South Dakota Mines students brought science to life for children and families at the recent Youth and Family Services Harvest Festival at Fullerton Farm, offering hands-on activities and specimens that explored engineering, microbiology and paleontology.
Nearly 20 Mines students from multiple disciplines participated in the event, engaging
visitors through interactive activities designed to make science fun and accessible
for all ages.
“Participation in community events like the Harvest Festival is important because
it allows South Dakota Mines to make science approachable, interactive and relevant
to everyday life,” said Dipayan Samanta, Ph.D., Mines research scientist in the Karen M. Swindler Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering. “Hands-on experiences can encourage children to ask questions, explore their creativity,
and begin seeing themselves as future scientists and engineers. These events also
strengthen the university's connection with the Rapid City community while providing
Mines students with valuable experience communicating scientific ideas to audiences
of different ages and backgrounds.”
Through the MASON laboratory, Mines students Jasmeet Kaur, Ishika Garg, Anjali Thapliyal, Shreya Sinha and Lata Pawar, along with = Samanta, and Rajesh K. Sani, Ph.D., led three hands-on microbiology activities for children and families. Participants explored the shapes and structures of bacteria, created their own microorganisms through the “Build Your Own Bug” activity, and learned about the diverse roles microorganisms play in nature. A colorful lava lamp experiment demonstrated how gas formation can create visible movement and provided a simple, engaging way to explore biological processes involving gases.
Students from the university’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Grubby's Garden Club, Sustainability and Environmental Change Club, and the American Society of Civil Engineers also participated in the festival, helping kids create their own water filtration/treatment system using plastic water bottles and food coloring. The food coloring represented the dissolved contaminants, and if they successfully removed the dye, then they had purified water.
“It gets messy, but it is a good way to teach people about water quality and how drinking water treatment works,” said Heidi Sieverding, Ph.D., assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.
The activities also helped the community connect with the research happening at Mines, including studies of microorganisms from diverse and extreme environments, such as Yellowstone hot springs.