By Te’kyla Miller
Children have the opportunity to learn about the
elements in nature. (Picture by Te’Kyla Miller)
Have you ever heard of the Curiosity Cube of MilliporeSigma? As a life science company, curiosity has always been the force that drives us and continues to motivate us. The Curiosity Cube is an extension of MilliporeSigma’s desire to use the expertise in science and technology to work for human progress.
The Curiosity Cube program began in 2017, as a platform to increase access to science education in elementary and middle schools. The concept of the Curiosity Cube is actually based on MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Labs program, in which MilliporeSigma’s employees go into classrooms and conduct hands-on experiments with a class. With the Curiosity Cube, they’re able to extend MilliporeSigma’s impact beyond the classroom and reach even more students and their families. The Curiosity Cube is designed for kids of all ages and abilities. It’s meant to put the excitement back into science for kids because most kids think science is boring.
The Cube is a 22×10-foot, retrofitted shipping container that has been transformed into a mobile science lab. It features interactive, hands-on science experiments led by MilliporeSigma employees. This allows visitors to ask questions and discuss the possibility of a future career in STEM, according to their site.
Curiosity Cube (Picture by Te’Kyla Miller)
“Our goals for these kids is to just get excited and engaged in science. We love it when kids come out and they’re already excited to see what’s inside the cube,” said Natalie Randolph, MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Cube coordinator. “I love to see their reactions versus when they get in and when they come out.”
This year, the Curiosity Cube wanted kids to learn about the Periodic Table since March 7, 2019, was the 150th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev discovering the Periodic Table.
“The most exciting thing about this job is that we get to see the improvement, the process. We get to see it first hand and it’s almost instantaneous once they go through the cube,” said Randolph. “They’re very excited about all the fun things that we have or they’re very excited about science.”
She added: “Sometimes they’re excited to start the new school year to see what their science teachers have for them.”
To find out more information about the MillporeSigma’s Curiosity Cube, visit https://thecuriositycube.com/about-the-curiosity-cube-tm/.