K-12 STEM Outreach

WiSTEM reaches 12,000+ K-12 students and families through STEM Girl Day at UT Austin, high school summer camps, and high school summer academy programming.

Additional WiSTEM community outreach and public STEM engagement is powered by WiSTEM Outreach Ambassadors, a cohort of UT Austin undergraduate STEM students trained in hands-on STEM activity facilitation, communication skills, and leadership.

WiSTEM Outreach Ambassadors:

WiSTEM Outreach Ambassadors are available for K-12 STEM outreach and are ready to excite K-12 students about STEM.  

WiSTEM Outreach Ambassadors often volunteer for Tabling Events, STEM Role Model Panels, UT Austin STEM Campus Tours, all of which are detailed below.  

• Tabling Events take place on or off campus and involve a small group of Outreach Ambassadors publicizing WiSTEM and facilitating a hands-on STEM activity. The activity can be provided by the event host or prepared by the Outreach Ambassadors. In the latter case, WiSTEM staff will pull an activity from the existing database and pack a wagon of materials that the Outreach Ambassadors will bring to and from the event.  
• STEM Role Model Panels take place in-person or virtually and involve a small group of Outreach Ambassadors engaging in a facilitated discussion and Q&A with attendees. The panel can be facilitated by the event host or a WiSTEM staff member.  
• UT Austin STEM Campus Tours are led by one or two Outreach Ambassadors, who can share their experience as UT Austin STEM students.

Other opportunities for Outreach Ambassador involvement include set-up and clean-up of events; school visits for classes, extracurricular groups, clubs, or teams; judging, grading, and proctoring at STEM fairs and expositions; and any other STEM outreach events for K-12 students. We are always open to ideas outside of those listed above! 

Request WiSTEM Outreach Ambassadors

If you would like your request to be available for both WiSTEM Outreach Ambassadors and non-WiSTEM students, professionals, and groups, GivePulse is a great place to post your opportunity. GivePulse connects volunteer needs and opportunities with WiSTEM’s Outreach Ambassadors, engineering role models with Central Texas Discover Engineering and the Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem, STEM professionals who serve as volunteers with WiSTEM, and other STEM role models in organizations throughout our community. Tips for using GivePulse can be found at the bottom of this page.

If you would like to make your request exclusively with WiSTEM’s Outreach Ambassadors, you can fill out the UT Austin Women in STEM Outreach Ambassadors Request survey. This option puts the responsibility of creating an event sign-up and coordinating with volunteers in the hands of WiSTEM staff.

Email wistem@utexas.edu if:

• You’re already made a sign-up outside of GivePulse and want the opportunity to be shared with WiSTEM Outreach Ambassadors.
• You have an opportunity that warrants further discussion with a WiSTEM staff member.
• You have any questions.

Please note: Due to the university’s academic calendar, transportation challenges, and Outreach Ambassador availability, Outreach Ambassadors may be unable to accommodate all event and volunteer requests.

Tips for Making Requests on GivePulse:

1. Submit via GivePulse with as much lead time as possible.
2. Title the request clearly and describe it to capture the attention (examples: “Tomball ISD Girls STEAM Conference Seeks STEM Speakers” or “Volunteer in 3^rd Grade at Grandview Elementary Science Class: Topic = Water”).
3. Clearly describe the volunteer need in the available text boxes.
4. Provide specific details on expectations, how to prepare, what they must bring, etc.
5. Be clear on the date/time of the event and when volunteers are needed.
6. Affiliate with Women in STEM on GivePulse so activities appear on the WiSTEM GivePulse page feed.
7. Email wistem@utexas.edu with the link to the GivePulse posting to be sure the request is connected and marketed to WiSTEM Outreach Ambassadors by WiSTEM staff.