OSU-Tulsa engineering students help kids engage with STEM

Three Oklahoma State University-Tulsa students spent a day showing local kids the wonders of STEM at the 2023 Tulsa Engineering Challenge. The annual event – which sported the theme “Creating the Future” – is an opportunity for students grades four to twelve to explore problem solving, designing and construction of devices to complete challenges.

Led by HRC Research Scientist and Core Labs manager, Dr. Feng Lu, OSU student volunteers Kathryn Rebekah Martin, Andrei Nitu and Mohammed Junaid Shekh represented OSU’s Tulsa-based engineering programs including the OSU Schools of Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the event. They showcased both the fundamental and the latest advances in engineering to attendees and helped them explore various engineering disciplines such as materials science and mechanical engineering through hands-on activities. 

The OSU students used the knowledge gained through classes at OSU-Tulsa’s Helmerich Research Center and enthusiasm for their respective fields to lead activities that utilized shape memory alloy, ferromagnetic fluid and Scanning Electron Microscope images.

The student volunteers also helped participants find iron in breakfast cereals and use liquid nitrogen on bubble wrap, marshmallows, tennis and ping-pong balls. The OSU-Tulsa table was one of the most popular sites at the event.

Participation in events like the Tulsa Engineering Challenge helps OSU inspire the next generation of innovators and problem solvers. OSU’s engineering programs in Tulsa, based primarily at the Helmerich Research Center, are actively seeking opportunities to collaborate in public STEM events.  

Visit the Helmerich Research Center website at tulsa.okstate.edu/helmerich or contact Feng Lu at feng.lu@okstate.edu to explore STEM outreach opportunities.