Making STEM Fun

EpiSTEM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to cultivate a passion for the STEM (Science, Technology, Education, Math) fields among elementary school children. Our lab leaders go into elementary school classrooms and perform fun and interactive science labs with the students, aligning with the curriculum they are currently learning in class.

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Students in Mrs. Kendrick's class McAuliffe Elementary School engaging with interactive labs

Our Lab Leaders

Become a part of EpiSTEM today by applying to be a lab leader, someone who goes into classrooms and leads science labs with the students. This is currently only open to Kern County high school students.

Apply Now

Connecting the community to STEM.

Our Impact

EpiSTEM constantly strives to maintain a positive impact and outreach within our communities that not only connects students, but teachers, administrators, and parents alike. We do this not only through our regular lab leading sessions with elementary school classes, but also through community events such as our STEM Night, and our summer school lab leading sessions.

General Lab Leading

McAuliffe, Van Horn, Whitley, and Laurelglen Elementary Schools
Our greatest impact lies in our general lab leading sessions throughout the school year. Our talented team of officers and lab leaders lead hands-on, interactive science labs with classes of students, currently across 4 elementary schools. These sessions spark curiosity and foster a love for science, making STEM more accessible and exciting for young minds. By bringing engaging experiments directly into classrooms, we aim to inspire the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.

Our STEM Night

Christa McAuliffe Elementary School - April 25th, 2024
At Christa McAuliffe Elementary School on April 25th, we hosted our STEM Night: a showcase of 14 different science labs that are akin to those usually done during lab leading sessions in classrooms. Students, parents, teachers, and school administrators were all able to see what EpiSTEM does and how we carry out our goals of cultivating a love for STEM among students.

Summer School Lab Leading

Christa McAuliffe Elementary School
We were given the wonderful opportunity of leading labs during 3rd and 4th grade summer school at Christa McAuliffe Elementary. Our lab leaders and officers gave the students an early, hands-on look at the science curriculum that they would be studying during the upcoming school year.

November STEAM Day

Christa McAuliffe Elementary School - November 1st, 2024
On the morning of, November 1, 2024 at McAuliffe Elementary School, our wonderful officers hosted a STEAM day for the students, complete with Halloween inspired science labs. The students explored exciting hands-on activities, from dancing raisins to mummy's magic milk. It was a memorable morning filled with a touch of Halloween magic!

Every donation counts.

EpiSTEM is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation will directly go towards organizational costs and the costs of science labs. Your donation could be the reason a young student develops a passion for STEM! You can donate below or to our GoFundMe, linked below. We are also happy to provide any necessary receipts for tax purposes, if requested.

CURRENTLY OPEN TO KERN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ONLY

Interested in becoming a Lab Leader?

Lab leaders are some of our most important members of our team; they are the ones that actually go into classrooms and lead labs with students. We are looking for individuals that are passionate about STEM, have the ability to lead and work with children, and those who would represent our mission and values well. This is currently open only to high school students in Kern County, California.

Contact Information

Email:
epistem.edu.learning@gmail.com

Phone:
925-307-0338

Instagram:
@epistem_learning

Strong roots grow into strong STEMs.

We stemmed from an idea to make science fun and interactive. We flourished into a nonprofit organization whose mission is to utilize high school students to cultivate a love for STEM in young minds.

Our Mission

Our organization is dedicated to fostering a love for science among students before they enter high school. We believe that by introducing science in a fun and engaging way, we can ignite a lifelong curiosity and excitement for the subject. Our mission is to bridge the gap between traditional classroom learning and practical, hands-on experience, helping young minds explore science in an interactive and enjoyable manner.

What We Do

EpiSTEM's goal is to cultivate a lifelong love for STEM among elementary school children. We go into classrooms and perform fun and interactive science labs with the students once every two weeks. We have had success doing this at local elementary schools, such as McAuliffe Elementary School.

Our Instagram

Follow our instagram account @epistem_learning to stay up to date with current happenings, events, registration deadlines, as well as photos of lab sessions and fun facts!

Our Founding Story

EpiSTEM was founded in late 2023 by Jiya Jha (pictured right), a current Stockdale High School Student who wanted to make learning about STEM fun, exciting, and hands-on for elementary school students.

She saw her 10 year old brother bored and uninspired when learning about science, as he had only been learning out of the textbook and not actually experiencing STEM in a hands-on way. As someone deeply passionate about STEM, Jiya knew she had to do something about that.

She founded EpiSTEM with the goal of exposing students to STEM in a way the textbook cannot. Today, EpiSTEM has grown and is constantly expanding its operations.