Volunteer Spotlight: Yizheng Tan
For this month’s volunteer spotlight we are featuring Yizheng Tan, who works at Santa Clara University.
What do you do professionally?
I’m part of the environment, health and safety team at Santa Clara University where I utilize my extensive background in materials chemistry, research, and teaching to manage the laboratory safety programs.
How did you hear about SiE and what made you decide to give your time to our cause?
Through a Google search! Back in 2016, I had some free time available so I looked for science-related volunteer opportunities in the area. When I read SiE’s mission and philosophy, I was impressed! I’ve been fortunate to have the flexibility in my work schedules to keep my SiE commitments, so I’ve continued volunteering with SiE since then.
Do you have a favorite activity or memory from a lesson?
I really like the engineering challenges. My favorite is the one in which teams compete to build the tallest structure using dried spaghetti and mini marshmallows. I love these types of activities because they allow students to apply basic concepts that they have learned into creating something of their own. I also enjoy watching students build their teamwork and collaboration skills in these group activities.
Why do you think it is important for underrepresented children to develop scientific thinking?
I believe scientific thinking is an essential skill for everyone, not only for scientists and engineers, and so we need to develop it in all children. It’s especially important for underrepresented children, so they see scientific thinking as a concept that anyone can grasp, and that science is for everyone. Even if they decide not to go into STEM, they learn to apply some form of scientific thinking to real-world problems of everyday life.
What does it take for kids to grasp scientific concepts, based on your volunteer experiences with SIE?
To me, getting the kids to do guided hands-on activities is one of the best ways for kids to learn. They are learning as they ask questions, make mistakes, and eventually figure out the answer as they work through the experiments. It’s really nice to see the excitement on the kids’ faces when they finally understand the concept!
