Rose-Hulman STEM Jubilee Launches Learning for K-8 Students
Friday, May 08, 2026
Rose-Hulman's STEM Jubilee, presented by the Noblitt Scholars Program, helped K-8 students discover the wonders of STEM through activities led by Rose-Hulman student volunteers.
Peals of laughter turned Rose-Hulman's bonfire field into the world's greatest "field trip" during the second-annual Rose-Hulman STEM Jubilee, presented by the Noblitt Scholars Program, on April 25.
As rockets made from two-liter bottles arched overhead, 235 students in grades K-8 explored the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through led by 144 Rose-Hulman student volunteers representing 14 different organizations.
"This is an event where students can come onto campus, engage with various fields of STEM, and get a quick peek into what STEM is all about," said Makayla Johnson, STEM Jubilee student co-lead and junior biomedical engineering major. "This is really to engage those younger learners, get them really fascinated, know that STEM is fun, so that they can go and be the next leaders of STEM in our fields."
The 35 different booths enabled curious minds to experiment with different STEM disciplines and momentarily walk in the footsteps of their dream jobs.
"Like a doctor!" Níko, a 4th grader, shouted with wonder as he slid his hands into rubber gloves at a booth.
Shveta Godbole, one of the STEM Jubilee student co-leads and a sophomore studying chemical engineering, found her spark for STEM and her chemical curiosity at a similar event as a child. She lit various ionic salts to make rainbow fire, an activity she brought to the STEM Jubilee.
"I love the look on their face when…they see the elephant toothpaste completely explode. It's just really cool to see students be passionate about something outside the classroom and learn more and have fun with science," she said.
Hadley, a kindergarten student in attendance, also delighted in creating rainbows to match the ones on her pink unicorn sweatshirt. From exploring chromatography through multicolored markers to twirling through the air with rainbow bubbles, the STEM Jubilee offered a rainbow of experiences to color Hadley's curiosity.
"It's like, really, really fun," Hadley said. Her enthusiasm is only natural; her middle name is Rose, and her father, Clint, graduated from Rose-Hulman in 2005 with a degree in computer science.
All around, families deepened their connections to learning and to each other, and some even learned that STEM is not without sibling rivalry.
"My (favorite booth) was probably building a LEGO car because I absolutely annihilated my brother, and it's fun because I really like cars," Royce, a fifth-grade student who aspires to a career as an engineer, boasted proudly. "I saw how my brother's car was a little heavier than mine, and I was thinking lighter would probably help."
Lincoln, Royce's brother and a seventh grader, took it in good spirits and was eager to continue learning. "I learned about oxygen and water, and if you combine yeast and soap, those make a cool reaction," he said.
Other activities included exploring the science of sound and music with campus radio station WMHD; building a prosthetic hand with the Biomedical Engineering Society; using circuitry to launch a propeller with IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu; extracting DNA from a strawberry; writing secret messages in invisible ink; and mixing materials to replicate bioluminescence.
"It gives children the opportunity to do something they might not get to do in their classrooms and gives them a new, novel experience," said Juliana Carragher, a sophomore civil engineering major and STEM Jubilee student co-lead.
This year, to promote continued learning after the event, the STEM Jubilee offered take-home STEM kits to families, provided through a grant from Texas Instruments. The grant also helped support a new Sensory Space, a quieter space filled with self-regulation materials, to help make the STEM Jubilee more inclusive for students who may be overstimulated by the energy of the event.
Rosie the elephant, Rose-Hulman's mascot, made a special appearance at the STEM Jubilee, high-fiving children as they proudly showed off their creations to their parents.
With every catapult launched, robot maneuvered, or binary message decoded, the STEM Jubilee helped students' imaginations soar, connecting a constellation of curiosity and a craving to learn more about their world and the science that surrounds it.
As rockets made from two-liter bottles arched overhead, 235 students in grades K-8 explored the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through led by 144 Rose-Hulman student volunteers representing 14 different organizations.
"This is an event where students can come onto campus, engage with various fields of STEM, and get a quick peek into what STEM is all about," said Makayla Johnson, STEM Jubilee student co-lead and junior biomedical engineering major. "This is really to engage those younger learners, get them really fascinated, know that STEM is fun, so that they can go and be the next leaders of STEM in our fields."
The 35 different booths enabled curious minds to experiment with different STEM disciplines and momentarily walk in the footsteps of their dream jobs.
"Like a doctor!" Níko, a 4th grader, shouted with wonder as he slid his hands into rubber gloves at a booth.
Shveta Godbole, one of the STEM Jubilee student co-leads and a sophomore studying chemical engineering, found her spark for STEM and her chemical curiosity at a similar event as a child. She lit various ionic salts to make rainbow fire, an activity she brought to the STEM Jubilee.
"I love the look on their face when…they see the elephant toothpaste completely explode. It's just really cool to see students be passionate about something outside the classroom and learn more and have fun with science," she said.
Hadley, a kindergarten student in attendance, also delighted in creating rainbows to match the ones on her pink unicorn sweatshirt. From exploring chromatography through multicolored markers to twirling through the air with rainbow bubbles, the STEM Jubilee offered a rainbow of experiences to color Hadley's curiosity.
"It's like, really, really fun," Hadley said. Her enthusiasm is only natural; her middle name is Rose, and her father, Clint, graduated from Rose-Hulman in 2005 with a degree in computer science.
All around, families deepened their connections to learning and to each other, and some even learned that STEM is not without sibling rivalry.
"My (favorite booth) was probably building a LEGO car because I absolutely annihilated my brother, and it's fun because I really like cars," Royce, a fifth-grade student who aspires to a career as an engineer, boasted proudly. "I saw how my brother's car was a little heavier than mine, and I was thinking lighter would probably help."
Lincoln, Royce's brother and a seventh grader, took it in good spirits and was eager to continue learning. "I learned about oxygen and water, and if you combine yeast and soap, those make a cool reaction," he said.
Other activities included exploring the science of sound and music with campus radio station WMHD; building a prosthetic hand with the Biomedical Engineering Society; using circuitry to launch a propeller with IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu; extracting DNA from a strawberry; writing secret messages in invisible ink; and mixing materials to replicate bioluminescence.
"It gives children the opportunity to do something they might not get to do in their classrooms and gives them a new, novel experience," said Juliana Carragher, a sophomore civil engineering major and STEM Jubilee student co-lead.
This year, to promote continued learning after the event, the STEM Jubilee offered take-home STEM kits to families, provided through a grant from Texas Instruments. The grant also helped support a new Sensory Space, a quieter space filled with self-regulation materials, to help make the STEM Jubilee more inclusive for students who may be overstimulated by the energy of the event.
Rosie the elephant, Rose-Hulman's mascot, made a special appearance at the STEM Jubilee, high-fiving children as they proudly showed off their creations to their parents.
With every catapult launched, robot maneuvered, or binary message decoded, the STEM Jubilee helped students' imaginations soar, connecting a constellation of curiosity and a craving to learn more about their world and the science that surrounds it.