GIST (President: Dr. Young Joon Kim) held an educational outreach program for local teens on July 24 – 25 on its campus. Titled “Glittering Science – Convergence STEAM Outreach Program,” the event provided attending students with an opportunity to experience lectures, experiments, discussions, presentations, and lab tours.

Supported by the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity and hosted by GIST College’s Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences, “Glittering Science” was the first event held by GIST this year for the activation of community outreach and the spread of science culture. The program was attended by 40 middle and high school students in Gwangju City – high school first and second year students on July 24, and middle school second and third year students on July 25.

STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. As such, the Convergence STEAM Outreach Program was planned by GIST College faculty members in basic sciences and the humanities and taught by the professors themselves. GIST College students also participated as teaching assistants, helping the attending students with experiments, discussions, and presentations.

The overarching theme of this year’s program was light. The program was designed to help attending students learn and experience a variety of phenomena and principles about light.

The students had an opportunity to experience convergence science by participating in sessions such as “understanding the relationship between light and color through making fluorescent beads accessories,” “building molecular models with 3D printers,” “assembling thin-film spectrometers,” and “measuring my own vitality signs.” They also had a tour of laser and laser application labs at GIST Advanced Photonics Research Institute.

GIST plans to hold another “Glittering Science” program in February 2015 for middle and high school students in not only Gwangju City but also Jeonnam Province.