LABS
Learning Among Brilliant Scientists (LABS) students gain access to new knowledge and are introduced to the skills needed to be a successful scientific researcher through workshops that include a seminar and hands-on learning experience.
LABS develops the whole child by:
- Engaging students in a unique educational experience to learn about a brilliant scientist’s current research work.
- Promoting optimal challenge for students seeking opportunities to further their interests and passions in the STEM field.
- Building a community of like-minded learners interested in STEM.
“LABS provides to engage students early on in unique research topics. I was so impressed by these students’ intuition for science. They expressed a lot of insightful observations about the topic. This is the type of experience I wish I had had as a young student.” – LABS Speaker
Upcoming Lectures
Galaxies are made of more than just stars. A rich interstellar medium permeates the space in between stars, formed out of material ejected from dying stars and supernovae, out of which new stars are formed. The detailed “life cycle” of this interstellar medium has profound impacts on the evolution of galaxies, from the small, compact, and irregular structures seen billions of years ago to the ordered spiral and elliptical galaxies we see today. Furthermore, understanding the physics and chemistry of this medium is essential to our understanding of how stars form. We will explore techniques astrophysicists use to study the interstellar medium, including spectroscopy from large telescopes and advanced computer simulations.
ABOUT MS. THEIOS
Ms. Theios is currently studying for a doctoral degree in astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology and received a B.S. in astrophysics from UCLA. Her research focuses on understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies by studying large numbers of galaxies at the peak of cosmic star formation 10 billion years ago (or 10 billion light-years away) using the Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Specifically, she is studying the properties of galactic winds and how galaxies in this epoch transition to the types of galaxies we see today.
DETAILS
When: Saturday, June 29, 10:30 am – 1:00 pm
Duration: 2.5 hours
Where: IEA Learning Center, 540 South Marengo Avenue, Pasadena, CA
Cost: $60*
*Scholarships are available to qualified families in need. Price subject to change based on the need for supplies.
ELIGIBILITY
Participants must be:
- Current 7th-12th grade students
- Passionate about learning
- Interested in pursuing an advanced STEM research topic
*You do not need to be a current IEA student to register for LABS. Students from all school districts are welcome.
Did you know that under the right conditions, protein and nucleic acid molecules in your body can form crystals? What could we possibly learn about their function from this crystalline state?
Over the past century, structural biologists have used a technique known as x-ray crystallography to study the three-dimensional structure of molecules. When crystalline material is exposed to X-ray radiation, the electron cloud surrounding the atoms of that molecule scatter the X-ray waves in a regular array to produce a diffraction pattern. From this pattern, scientist are able to determine the shape and analyze details critical to the function of that molecule at atomic level resolution. In this workshop, we will learn the necessary tools to solve a three-dimensional protein structure, such as crystal growth, cryo-cooling, and computational modeling into experimentally determined electron density.
ABOUT DR. BARNES
Dr. Christopher Barnes has been a research scientist in the fields of chemistry, biophysics, pharmacology, immunology, and virology over the past 12 years. He holds a PhD in Molecular Pharmacology from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina. Currently, Dr. Barnes is a HHMI Hanna Gray Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Pamela Bjorkman at Caltech, where he researches the cross-talk between HIV and our immune system in order to guide the development of an effective vaccine.
DETAILS
When: Saturday, July 20, 10:30 am – 1:00 pm
Duration: 2.5 hours
Where: IEA Learning Center, 540 South Marengo Avenue, Pasadena, CA
Cost: $60*
*Scholarships are available to qualified families in need. Price subject to change based on the need for supplies.
ELIGIBILITY
Participants must be:
- Current 7th-12th grade students
- Passionate about learning
- Interested in pursuing an advanced STEM research topic
*You do not need to be a current IEA student to register for LABS. Students from all school districts are welcome.
