2024 Public Health Laboratory Annual Report
Education Outreach Program Brings Science to Students
In 2022, the Minnesota Public Health Laboratory (PHL) started an Education Outreach program to bring hands-on science activities to young people. From the beginning, the focus was on inclusion and equity. By showing youth from underserved communities what the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) does every day to protect the well-being of all Minnesotans, the program demonstrated in concrete terms how science can provide a rewarding career path.
The activities of the Education Outreach program included:
Lab scientists in classrooms
MDH lab scientists and educational specialists came into middle- and high-school classrooms to lead students in engaging experiments, such as:
- Turning water into vapor
- Extracting DNA from strawberries
- Testing pH levels of soil and water
Scientists also talked about their own careers and areas of expertise. The focus was more on working in the science field than on instructing students about scientific knowledge.
Heritage High School, a Minneapolis magnet school focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), was one frequent host to Education Outreach scientists and education specialists. Monthly activities covered different areas of lab work, such as evaluating water samples and testing for Salmonella. Field trips to the Minnesota Zoo and the Minnesota Science Museum were followed by classroom discussions.
Scrubs Camp: becoming infectious disease detectives
“Scrubs Camp” is a highly interactive class that takes students through the steps that the Minnesota Infectious Disease Laboratory and Emergency Preparedness and Response Program would undergo in an emergency outbreak of an unknown infectious disease. Students took on the roles of epidemiologists and lab scientists, using the scientific method and real lab equipment to conduct tests and eventually identify the infectious agents.
Community pop-up events
Education specialists arranged several pop-up events to bring anywhere in the Twin Cities community. One involved reading science-based books to children in libraries. For another, the Education Outreach Program created science activity kits that guide kids through collecting soil and water samples. Kids could then participate in “citizen science” by sending the samples to MDH.
Lab tours
The PHL offers guided tours of its Infectious Disease, Environmental, and Newborn Screening labs. Many groups of students, legislators, science professionals, and others have learned about and observed the work of our scientists and other professionals on these tours. The Education Outreach Program’s education specialists provided additional presentations or learning experiences that were customized to each group.
Career fairs
Through tables and booths at career fairs, the Education Outreach program used simple lab experiments to break the ice with job seekers. Education specialists showed how to check the pH of your morning coffee and what happens when baking soda and Coca-Cola are combined. Conversations covered opportunities like internships for high school and college-student applicants and the educational pathways that lead to lab science careers.
The new INSPIRE program
The above Education Outreach efforts proved so successful that, in July 2024, several activities were moved from the Public Health Laboratory to become a bureau-wide program called INSPIRE (Introducing Students to Public Health Initiatives Rooted in Experiences). INSPIRE's primary goal is to bring scientists into 150 classrooms over two years. The program targets classrooms in middle and high schools with a relative lack of STEM programs or labs.
The Education Outreach program through PHL continues to offer Scrubs Camp, lab tours, career fairs, and other activities designed to promote science among young people. We intend to foster a love of science that will compel the next generation to further advance the health and happiness of Minnesotans.
Return to the main 2024 Annual Report page.