Events List Navigation
October 2017
Celebrate Nuclear Science Week! Teen Science Cafe – Nuclear Engineering: Responsibility for the Future
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and ALL area middle and high school students. Registration required. Advance registration for Junior Academy members ONLY through Friday, October 6. General registration opens Saturday, October 7.
Click “Find Out More” to register!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Dinner
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Presentation & activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: Jenna Slocum, undergraduate student in Nuclear Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology; undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Carlos Castano; President, Missouri S&T student chapter, American Nuclear Society; Secretary, Missouri S&T student chapter, Women in Nuclear
What do you think when you hear the word “Nuclear?” Do you think “Clean Energy!” or maybe a news headline? Let’s discuss what you know, what you want to learn, and break down one of the more recent Nuclear Headliners: Fukushima Dailchi. Join Engineers from the Missouri S&T chapter of the American Nuclear Society in the discussion of what happened, who should take responsibility, what we should take from this event, and how we should move forward.
November 2017
Cybersecurity Teen Science Cafe! Black Hats vs White Hats: Inside the Mind of a Hacker
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and ALL area middle and high school students in grades 6 – 12 only. Registration required.
This cafe is now full. Accepting WAIT LIST registrations only as of 11:30 a.m., Wed, November 15. Click “Find Out More” to register for a spot on the WAIT LIST.
Featured Cafe Presenter: Alexander Jones, Owner, Renew Audio; Associate Director and Digital Cyber Security Architect, Cognizant
Join us as we explore the dark world of computer hackers and learn how we can best defend our privacy against unwanted invasion. Our speaker, Alexander Jones is a Cyber Security Architect working on the front lines of the battle to protect computer systems and data from cyberthreats.
February 2018
Teen Science Cafe—Seeding the Future: Plant Breeding and Genetic Modification
Registration for this cafe is now closed!
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and ALL area middle and high school students. Registration required. Advance registration for Junior Academy members ONLY through Saturday, February 17. General registration opens Sunday, February 18.
Registration deadline is Wednesday, February 21. Registration for this cafe is now closed!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
Registration for this cafe is now closed!
6:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Dinner
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: Lisa Kanizay, Ph.D., Reproductive Biology Scientist, Monsanto Company
Cafe Topic:
Modern breeding relies on many tools and technologies to produce plant varieties that provide farmers and growers with predictable, consistent results. Today scientists use everything from machine learning to naturally occurring biological processes, such as haploid induction, (a process used to speed plant breeding) to create these varieties. Try out some of the plant breeding methods scientists use in this hands-on cafe for teens and discuss genetic modification and what those words mean to a scientist.
March 2018
Teen Science Café – Cell Biology: How Cells Get in Shape!
This cafe is now FULL. Accepting wait-listed registrants ONLY as of Saturday, March 10.
Washington University in St. Louis Danforth Campus (PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL after registering for a CONFIRMATION with IMPORTANT INFORMATION on required liability waiver, driving directions, parking, student drop-off and pick-up, and campus building location for this cafe!)
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and ALL area middle and high school students in grades 6-12. Registration required. Advance registration for Junior Academy members ONLY through Wednesday, March 7. General registration opens Thursday, March 8.
Registration required! CLICK “Find Out More” to register!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
Location:
Washington University in St. Louis Danforth Campus
NSLC Natural Sciences Learning Center
Life Sciences Building (G-4, #72 on Campus Map)
and
215 Rebstock Hall (G-4, #102 on Campus Map)
Forsyth Boulevard (between Big Bend and Skinker Boulevards)
St. Louis, Missouri 63130
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Dinner
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Presenter: Ram Dixit, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis
Journey into cells and discover how beams, motors and cables inside cells work to dynamically create and change their shapes. Do a hands-on lab project to design and create a cell shape of your choice using materials provided. The team that best replicates a complex 3D cell shape will win a prize!
Teen Science Café – Motivation and Decision Making: The Science of Behavior
(PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL after registering for a CONFIRMATION with IMPORTANT INFORMATION on required liability waiver, driving directions, parking, student drop-off and pick-up, and campus building location for this cafe!)
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and ALL area middle and high school students in grades 6-12. Registration required. Advance registration for Junior Academy members ONLY through Saturday, March 17. General registration opens Sunday, March 18.
Registration required! CLICK “Find Out More” to register!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
6:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Dinner
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: Debbie Yee, Graduate Student, Cognitive Control and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis
What motivates you when you are making a decision or trying to achieve a goal? How do you choose whether or not a goal is worth the effort? Human decision-making is influenced by a wide variety of motivational factors, but a challenge that researchers face is understanding how motivation can influence the decisions and actions we perform on a daily basis. In this interactive Teen Science Cafe, you’ll learn about the challenges of measuring motivation in the laboratory setting, and perform a hands-on experiment to gain experience with how psychologists study the effects of motivation on behavior.
May 2018
Teen Science Cafe—Environmental Evolution: An Exploration of Past Polluters and the Path to Greening Our Future
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and ALL area middle and high school students. Registration required. Advance registration for Junior Academy members ONLY through Tuesday, April 24. General registration opens Wednesday, April 25. CLICK Find Out More to register!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
6:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Dinner
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: Crystal Jones, Compliance Project Manager, Environmental Operations, Inc.
Cafe Topic:
Explore innovative and exciting ideas that are changing the way we approach the cleanup necessary to repair the environmental damage that remains from industries that have long since passed. In this insightful Teen Science Café on Greening Our Future, Teens explore both the environmental impact of small scale in-home actions of everyday people and the large scale impacts on our environment from the actions of commercial and industrial facilities. Teens do exciting hands on activities that bring these issues a little closer to home, illuminating what our individual choices mean for us, our neighbors, and our communities in the long term.
October 2018
Teen Science Cafe: Rising Waters! Forecasting Rising Rivers, Exploring Flood Emergency Tech
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and all middle and high school students in grades 6-12 from throughout the region. Registration required.
PRE-REGISTRATION for Junior Academy members ONLY, on Thursday, October 18. General registration opens on Friday, October 19. Space is limited! Click Find Out More to Register Today!
Hear from National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs on measuring and forecasting rising rivers and meet with STEM and EMT (emergency management technology) professionals and first responders in this interactive Teen Science Cafe on the technology used to predict, respond to, and manage flooding emergencies. Tour EMT Stations featuring representatives from the American Red Cross, Missouri Department of Transportation, St. Charles County Division of Emergency Management, St. Louis County Department of Public Health, and the National Weather Service.
December 2018
STEM Teens Leadership Council Holiday Party and Meeting
OPEN to STEM Teens Leadership Council Members and current Junior Academy Members ONLY! Registration is required. Space is limited! Click Find Out More to RSVP today!
The STEM Teens Leadership Council cordially invites Junior Academy of Science members to attend the STEM Teens Holiday Party & Meeting!
Enjoy holiday food and drinks, meet members of the Academy’s STEM Teens Leadership Council, participate in an icebreaker and hands-on leadership vision board activity, and learn about honors colleges from guest speaker, Holly Pope, Ph.D., with the University of Missouri – St. Louis’ Pierre Laclede Honor’s College.
See you there!
January 2019
Teen Science Cafe: And the Beat Goes On, On, On—New Therapeutics in Cardiovascular Research
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and all middle and high school students in grades 6-12 from throughout the region. Registration required.
FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and all middle and high school students in grades 6-12 from throughout the region. Registration required. PRE-REGISTRATION for Junior Academy members ONLY thru Wednesday, January 16. General registration opens Thursday, January 17. Click Find Out More to Register.
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
PROGRAM
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: Dana R. Abendschein, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, Center for Cardiovascular Research, Washington University in St. Louis
Heart attacks and strokes are among the most common causes of death among adults in the United States. The research in Dana Abendschein’s lab focuses on developing new medicines/drugs from naturally occurring proteins that our body makes to fight the process of thrombosis (clotting) and inflammation of the blood vessels. In this interactive Teen Science Café, we’ll explore and discuss how these new drugs made by recombinant DNA technology not only work better than those currently available (some derived from insect or leach saliva), but also don’t cause the bleeding side effects that are a problem with available drugs.
And the Beat Goes On is an Evenings on Genetics and Genomics Series Teen Science Cafe Event of The Academy of Science – St. Louis, Washington University in St. Louis Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences, the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Siteman Cancer Center, and the Children’s Discovery Institute of St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.
March 2019
Teen Science Cafe: There’s More to Mathematics than Algebra — Exploring Some Unsolved Questions in Mathematics
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and all middle and high school students in grades 6-12 from throughout the region. PRE-REGISTRATION for Junior Academy members ONLY thru Thursday, March 21. General registration opens Friday, March 22. Click Find Out More to Register.
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
PROGRAM
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: Adam Weyhaupt, Ph.D., Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Fontbonne University
When asked to describe major advances in science and knowledge, people typically describe results from medicine, engineering, computing, and chemistry — mathematics wouldn’t often be mentioned. What is mathematics research? What are some of the questions mathematicians wrestle with? What is mathematics like in the age of social media and supercomputers? We’ll talk about these questions and explore some open (unsolved!) problems in theoretical mathematics. This Cafe’ won’t require any mathematics you learned in school, so bring your curiosity but leave your algebra at home.
April 2019
Teen Science Cafe: Not Just Pill Counters—A Day in the Life of a Pharmacist
THIS EVENT IS FULL! Registration for Not Just Pill Counters is CLOSED as of Noon, Fri, Apr 5.
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
PROGRAM
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: Amy M. Tiemeier, Pharm.D., BCPS, Director of Community Partnerships, Associate Director of Experiential Education and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, St. Louis College of Pharmacy
What do Pharmacists do? Where can they work, and what skills are needed to become one? Meet Dr. Amy Tiemeier, an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Play a pharmacy-related Kahoot game and participate in a hands-on drug compounding activity. Find out what it’s like to offer advice and dispense information about medication side effects, disease prevention, nutrition, tobacco cessation, diabetes management, and more.
July 2019
Teen Science Cafe: Materials Science Murder Mystery
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and all middle and high school students in grades 6-12 from throughout the region. PRE-REGISTRATION for Junior Academy members ONLY thru Friday, July 26. General registration opens Saturday, July 27. Click Find Out More to Register!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
PROGRAM
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenters: Andrew Hoffman and Seth Kilby, graduate students, Missouri University of Science and Technology
In this interactive teen cafe on Materials Science, we’ll discuss what the field of materials science actually is, look at how we can go from the atomic scale to a finished product, and explore one important aspect of materials science in particular, which is studying why materials fail. This takes a little detective work, and we will put your skills to the test. Can you use the information and tools available to scientists to find out why a material failed, and what you could recommend to prevent this from happening again?
October 2019
Monkey Mystery: How Comparative Anatomy Can Bring Fossil Primates to Life
Important information on parking and exact cafe location sent with registration confirmation.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and all middle and high school students in grades 6-12 from throughout the region. PRE-REGISTRATION for Junior Academy members ONLY thru Friday, October 18. General registration opens Saturday, October 19. Click Find Out More to Register!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
PROGRAM
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm: Dinner and Icebreaker
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: Kari Allen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology & Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
What did the first primates eat? How big were they? Did they live in the trees or on the ground? In this interactive teen cafe on comparative anatomy, you’ll work in teams to explore the anatomy of your team’s mystery monkey and predict the answers to these questions. And you can put your artistic skills to work—each team will draw their monkey and choose a name for their newly discovered species of primate.
November 2019
Teen Science Cafe—Combating Cancer: Using Stem Cells to Explore Treatments for Leukemia
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and all middle and high school students in grades 6-12 from throughout the region. PRE-REGISTRATION for Junior Academy members ONLY thru Friday, November 15. General registration opens Saturday, November 16. Click Find Out More/Event Information to register!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
PROGRAM
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm: Dinner and Icebreaker
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Presentation & Activities
Featured Cafe Presenter: John F. DiPersio, M.D., Ph.D., Deputy Director, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center; Virginia E. and Samuel J. Golman Endowed Professor of Oncology; and Chief, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Leukemia is a disease that affects adults and children; it is the most common cancer in children and teens, accounting for almost 1 out of 3 cancers. Oncologist, Dr. John DiPersio’s research focuses on using blood stem cells for transplantation and genetic interventions to fight leukemia. This can include gene editing of T cells, one type of immune system cell. Learn how immunotherapy can make cancer treatment more effective. In this interactive Teen Cafe on fighting cancer, you’ll role play, research, argue, and defend your position in one of two medical ethics scenarios 1) around the use of HeLa cells, or 2) the use of aggressive clinical interventions in advanced cancer care treatment.
February 2020
Teen Science Cafe: A CRISPR Way to Develop a Winter Crop for the Midwest
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space is limited. FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and all middle and high school students in grades 6-12 from throughout the region. PRE-REGISTRATION for Junior Academy members ONLY thru Friday, February 14. General registration opens Saturday, February 15. Click Find Out More to Register!
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, click here.
Featured Cafe Presenter: Catherine Espinoza Patharkar, Ph.D., Senior Molecular Biology Scientist, CoverCress, Inc.
CoverCress is a startup company focused on developing a new cover cash crop for the American Midwest. Molecular Biologist, Catherine Espinoza Patharkar, discusses how CoverCress is using gene editing to rapidly domesticate pennycress into a crop that produces a high-quality biofuel and animal feed, while protecting the soil during the winter. In this interactive teen cafe, you’ll play the role of a gene detective and use bioinformatics tools to understand how gene editing technology, CRISPR, targets, deletes or repairs DNA and results in the CoverCress crop.
Can’t make the Academy’s A CRISPR Way teen cafe on Thursday, February 20? Register to attend A CRISPR Way teen cafe at the Saint Louis Science Center’s Taylor Community Resource Center on Wednesday, February 19.
October 2020
Teen Science Cafe: Picture a Scientist—documentary film screening and panel discussion
Academy of Science – Zoom
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space is limited. FREE and OPEN to high school students in grades 9-12 ONLY. Please note a separate liability waiver for this cafe must also be completed by a parent/guardian for each attending teen. Deadline to register is Monday, Oct 26, 4p.m., CST. Click the Event Information link below for more information and to REGISTER!
If you’re a high school teen who likes science, you won’t want to miss this interactive virtual Science Cafe for Teens featuring a screening of the documentary film, Picture a Scientist, an official selection of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Following the screening, you can ask your questions of three local women scientists who share their experiences and stories as women in science along with advice for overcoming bias, obstacles, and hardships, and with tips for persevering in STEM.
Picture a Scientist is a Gateway Teen Science Cafe Event of the The Academy of Science – St. Louis presented in partnership with the Girls Can STEM Series initiative of The Academy of Science and the Zonta Club of St. Louis.
December 2020
Teen Science Cafe: Self-Organization in Biology
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space is limited! FREE and OPEN to Junior Academy of Science members and ALL middle and high school students in grades 6-12! Click the Event Information button below to register. Pre-registration for Junior Academy of Science members ONLY through Friday, Dec 4. General registration for ALL open on Saturday, Dec 5. Look for Cafe login information in your email confirmation.
To join the Junior Academy of Science, or to find out more about the benefits of membership in the Junior Academy, CLICK HERE.
Featured Cafe Presenter: Ram Dixit, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Program Director, Plant and Microbial Sciences, Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis; Principal Investigator, Working Group 2, Co-Leader, Center for Engineering MechanoBiology, National Science Foundation
Unlike human-made structures, biological structures are created without an underlying template or blueprint. Instead, these structures arise dynamically through a process called self-organization in which higher-level patterns emerge from interactions between lower-level components. Use computer modeling in this interactive virtual Teen Science Cafe to explore what self-organization means and how it applies to biological systems.
February 2021
Teen Science Cafe: Deep Space AI—Navigating Swarms of Small Satellites Beyond Earth Orbit with Neural Networks
Academy of Science – Zoom
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space is limited. FREE and OPEN to all middle and high school students in grades 6-12. Please note a separate liability waiver for this cafe must also be completed by a parent/guardian for each attending teen. Pre-registration for Junior Academy of Science members ONLY through Friday, February 12. General registration for all opens Saturday, February 13. Deadline to register is Thursday, Feb 25, 4p.m., CST. Click the Event Information link below for more information and to REGISTER!
Train a neural network to recognize different objects in space in this interactive virtual Science Cafe for Teens on satellites in deep space and advanced spacecraft navigation techniques.
Deep Space AI is a Gateway Teen Science Cafe Event of the The Academy of Science – St. Louis presented in partnership with the Girls Can STEM Series initiative of The Academy of Science and the Zonta Club of St. Louis.
April 2021
Teen Science Café: One Health—How the Health of Humans, Animals and Environments are ALL Connected
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space is limited. FREE and OPEN to all middle and high school students in grades 6-12! Pre-registration for Junior Academy of Science members ONLY through Wednesday, April 21. General registration for all opens Thursday, April 22. Deadline to register is Monday, April 26, 4p.m., CST. CLICK the orange Event Information button below to REGISTER! Look for Cafe login information in your email confirmation.
Click Here to learn about the Junior Academy of Science and how to become a member.
One Health is an interdisciplinary approach to preserving the health of our planet. It recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment.
In this informative and hands-on Science Café for Teens, the Saint Louis Zoo’s Director of the Institute for Conservation Medicine (ICM), Dr. Sharon Deem, and Conservation Education Liaison, Keri Lammering, share their work with the ICM, telling the story of Dr. Deem’s personal and professional journey into wildlife veterinary epidemiology and providing an overview of the growing One Health movement, centered on real-world conservation and human public health programs led by the Zoo’s ICM. You’ll take part in an interactive role-play exploration of the Institute’s project on camel health and human food security in Kenya, East Africa.
May 2021
Teen Science Cafe: Putting COVID in Its Place—GIS Mapping and Locating Our Own Experiences with the Pandemic’s Social Changes
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space is limited. FREE and OPEN to all middle and high school students in grades 6-12! Pre-registration for Junior Academy of Science members ONLY through Saturday, May 1. General registration for all opens Sunday, May 2. Deadline to register is Thursday, May 13, 4p.m., CST. CLICK the orange Event Information button below to REGISTER! Look for Cafe login information in your email confirmation.
Click Here to learn about the Junior Academy of Science and how to become a member.
In this interactive virtual café for teens with medical sociologist, Dr. Chris Prener, we’ll talk about what GIS is, how we can capture qualitative data about places and experiences, and how with maps we can communicate the effect COVID-19 has had on our lives. We’ll do this by using Google to create maps of how our own experiences with place have changed in the last year. Sometimes called “volunteered geographic information,” this approach to collecting data has a wide range of research applications.