Three Questions for Mitch Aiken

CTLO’s Mitch Aiken

Earlier this year, Mitch Aiken, the associate director for educational outreach at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach (CTLO), oversaw the expansion of the Summer Research Connection (SRC) through the launch of the new Hybrid Summer Research Connection (HSRC). Aiken explains how HSRC will allow more Southern California high school students to connect with Caltech.

1. How have you made Caltech’s summertime outreach programs work remotely?

It’s been a challenge these last two summers. Many of our groups are doing laptop-based research, using their coding skills to study data, develop website apps, and conduct research online. For the students who are particularly interested in chemistry or biology, in some cases we’ve been able to supply kits that allow them to engage in hands-on research.

The critical piece has been to make it not feel like school. Typically, when a student comes to campus, it’s a special experience that wouldn’t be happening in the classroom. We’ve tried to make sure that the remote components are as engaging and collaborative as possible and not so content-heavy that the students feel like they’re in summer school.

2. What kind of research can students work on from home?

With [Gordon M. Binder/Amgen Professor of Biology and Geobiology] Dianne Newman’s group, we did an activity with MudWatts, which are devices that detect energy from microbes in mud. Students tried varying samples of mud with different concentrations of water, and they tested which ones contained microbes that generate energy—enough to light a light bulb or power an electronic digital clock. Other groups worked on their laptops, analyzing data from telescopes; this gave them the real sense of being on a path of discovery.

3. What do you hope to accomplish with CTLO’s outreach mission?

We want to get students, particularly those who are historically marginalized in STEM fields, excited about STEM.

There are all kinds of paths into science. We don’t see our efforts as a direct recruiting path to Caltech, but a recruiting path into the world of STEM. We have always focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in all our educational outreach programs and continue to view our programs through this lens.