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Apr 30, 2023

Curiosity Cube mobile lab brings curiosity to community

Photojournalist Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the

Photojournalist

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Curiosity Cube Coordinator Danielle Chavis’ name.

Peering through safety glasses, the eyes of hundreds of Kankakee County youth got a close-up look at science.

The Curiosity Cube — a 22-foot-by-10-foot, retrofitted shipping container turned interactive mobile science lab — spent four days in the county over the weekend.

The goal? Increase access to hands-on STEM education. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Students use virtual reality, digital microscopes and other scientific tools to learn about different types of contamination as they’re led through three interactive experiments by real-life MilliporeSigma scientists.

Scientist Danielle Chavis, MilliporeSigma's Curiosity Cube coordinator, had all eyes and ears on her as she led the beverage contamination test, which included using litmus paper to take pH measurements (testing the acidity of water) to determine if a lemonade sample was safe for consumption.

The Curiosity Cube aims to help close the gap in Title 1 schools, where more than half (53%) of students miss out on the opportunity to experience hands-on science. In 2022, 89% of the schools the Curiosity Cube visited in the U.S. are classified as Title 1.

"We do this because we understand the need for STEM as well as STEM careers in the future," Chavis said. "[The students] are meeting scientists, chemists, biologists, process engineers, all types of people who work for our company who look totally different. None of us look the same."

"Being able to showcase to students that they, too, can be a scientist. They, too, can do things that they may have never had access to … that's why we do this."

Kankakee-based nonprofit Still I Rise hosted Monday's event at the Avis Huff Student Support Center.

The nonprofit's Executive Director Tocarra Eldridge-Robinson said it's important to have things like the Curiosity Cube come to the county in order to show children the opportunities they have outside of traditional classroom science.

"We hope this event can help spark some curiosity," Eldridge-Robinson said.

After visiting the county in 2022, the Curiosity Cube stopped at Friday's Family Night Out at Perry Farm Park, the Exploration Station on Saturday, Sunday's Strawberry Jazz Festival at Northfield Square mall and wrapped up Monday at a Still I Rise event at Avis Huff Student Support Services Center.

MilliporeSigma's Curiosity Cube is designed to spark scientific curiosity and passion early — paving the way to a future filled with innovative breakthroughs and encouraging students to pursue careers in STEM fields.

Photojournalist

Tiffany has been a photojournalist with the DJ since 2014 & Photo Editor since 2018. She covers everything from daily news, sports and Lifestyles magazine shoots. A Herscher grad, Tiffany received her B.A. in Journalism at Southern Illinois University.

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