Biscayne Bay Science Club to be recognized nationally

Cristina Gonzalez/Staff Writer

The Biscayne Bay Science Club was created with a mission: to engage and provide students with opportunities that allow them to become active members in the scientific world and their communities.  

“We’re trying to reach out to students to help them understand how to be agents of science within the community. We are also trying to create mentors for future students who are pursuing a career in any science field,” said Kathleen Lugo Charriez, club president.

Typically, science clubs restrict membership, allowing only those students who are pursuing careers in biology and chemistry fields to join. The Biscayne Bay Science Club, however, welcomes all students, regardless of major.

The club believes that science is for everyone, so they strongly encourage anyone who is interested to join.

“Every major and every person has something to contribute to science. It’s really good to have people who see things from different points of views, in order to be more creative and to be a little bit more helpful to the community in general, regardless of what their background is,” said Charriez.

As a member of the Science Club, you can expect to participate in a wide range of outreach and educational activities throughout the semester which includes visiting schools and museums.

The club hosts “Science Nights,” where members visit elementary, middle and high schools to educate students and get them interested in science. The club also partakes in art competitions where students are assigned a random science topic and must use it to create an original poem.

Most recently, the student chapter was recognized by the American Chemical Society to receive an Outstanding Award for its activities conducted during the 2017-2018 academic year. During this time, over 400 chapter activities were submitted.

The club will also be awarded with the Green Chemistry Student Chapter award at the upcoming ACS National Meeting. This award provides national recognition for student chapters who have shown commitment to integrating green chemistry into their annual activities.

“It means a lot for our club and for me personally, as an ACS scholar, to be recognized. It means we’re doing our job with the community and actually making some sort of an impact. Being recognized is great for keeping motivation up within the club, for giving our members fresh new ideas and for getting more people involved. The more hands we have the better,” said Charriez.

For more information on how to join, visit the science club’s Panther Connect page https://fiu.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/biscayne-bay-campus-science-club

To stay connected and hear about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, make sure to  follow the club’s Instagram and Facebook pages.