The Curiosity Cube Rolls Into Rockville with Fun STEM Learning

What do you do with a 22-by-15-foot shipping container? If you’re MilliporeSigma of Rockville, you retrofit it into a mobile science lab to bring science experiences to underprivileged children.

The “Curiosity Cube” science lab is back on the road for its fourth annual tour after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the Curiosity Cube project is “to provide access for students to hands-on science,” says Rebecca Bloom-Baglin, head of executive and external communications at MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canadian life science business of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, which owns and operates the Curiosity Cube.

Since the project began, it has reached 293 communities and impacted more than 114,000 students.

MilliporeSigma continues its fourth annual Curiosity Cube® mobile science lab tour with several stops in Rockville. | Photo courtesy MilliporeSigma

The Curiosity Cube has several planned stops over the next few days in Montgomery County, Maryland. The events listed below are open and free to the students of the schools which are hosting them this week:

Curiosity Cube Events in Rockville:

>> Tuesday, May 24

Wheaton Woods Elementary

9:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.

 

>> Wednesday, May 25

Parkland Middle School

8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

>> Thursday, May 26

Parkland Middle School

8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

MilliporeSigma employees teach hands-on STEM lessons inside the Curiosity Cube® mobile science lab. | Photo courtesy MilliporeSigma

The mobile lab is designed for travel so that it can reach and impact as many communities as possible. The lab brings tools and experiences to children all over North America who may not otherwise have access to them and encourage a healthy curiosity about STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). In doing so, this mobile science lab aims to help close the gap in Title 1 schools where more than half of students miss out on the opportunity to experience hands-on science, according to statistics from the Education Commission of the States.

Through the Curiosity Cube, students use ozobots, digital microscopes and other scientific instruments to learn about collecting bacteria that lives in and on the body with three interactive experiments. Ozobots, small robots that can fit in the palm of your hand, are designed to introduce kids to coding.

The Curiosity Cube offers kids a fun look at STEM subjects, especially given that STEM career opportunities are growing rapidly. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in STEM fields have a projected growth of 11% compared to 8% or less in other industries.

You don’t have to be an adult to engage with STEM. Learning about STEM through events like the Curiosity Cube helps kids grow their creative-thinking skills and learn about the world around them. STEM experiences also emphasize problem-solving skills using real-world applications.

Learn more about The Curiosity Cube [LINK TO: Breakthroughs begin with The Curiosity Cube® | Breakthroughs begin with The curiosity cube®].

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