High School Students Present Science and Engineering Projects at JILA

Steven Burrows — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:11:25 +0000

High School Students Present Science and Engineering Projects at JILA Steven Burrows Fri, 04/24/2026 - 09:11

Jessica Hoehn / JILA PFC Director of Public Engagement & Education Research

Eric Cornell talks to a student about their project.

On April 22, 2026, the JILA Physics Frontier Center (PFC) and Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) hosted the annual PISEC High School Poster Symposium. 110 students from three different high schools descended on JILA to present posters of science and engineering projects they completed over the course of a semester or year under the guidance of CU mentors. This cornerstone event provides students an opportunity to engage in authentic science communication practices, sharing their work with peers and university researchers. In addition to the poster session, high school students toured research labs in JILA, learning about JILA research and exploring possible future undergraduate opportunities and career paths.

Funded by the National Science Foundation through the JILA PFC, PISEC is a partnership-based community engagement program that connects CU volunteers with local K-12 students to engage in hands-on, inquiry-based science experiments and engineering projects. With programs at the elementary through high school levels, PISEC strives to cultivate youths’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and support their STEM identity development. Through mutually beneficial partnerships, the program works to create pathways into STEM disciplines while also supporting the identity and professional development of the university volunteers.

This year, students from Englewood, Northglenn, and Skyline High Schools presented a wide range of projects, from investigating aurora phenomena with a homopolar motor, to creating 3D printed bone scaffolds for tissue engineering, to designing a pedestrian bridge. JILA graduate students, postdocs, and fellows attended the poster session, along with other CU and external community members, making for a lively atmosphere of celebration and connection.

On the heels of PISEC’s 18th year of building and sustaining university-community partnerships, this vibrant symposium underscores JILA’s commitment to community engagement and to supporting the next generation of scientists.

High school students explain their project to poster symposium attendees.

More than 110 students from three Colorado high schools gathered at JILA on April 22, 2026, to present science and engineering projects at the annual PISEC High School Poster Symposium, hosted by the JILA Physics Frontier Center and PISEC. The event offered students hands-on experience in science communication, opportunities to engage with CU researchers, and a firsthand look at JILA research and STEM pathways.

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