I didn’t grow up loving science. In fact, there was once a time when I was the only person in my class whose favorite subject was English; I didn’t understand how STEM could let you see more of the world than my humanities classes. What I learned in science class felt so removed from how I viewed humanity that, truthfully, I was indifferent.
Courtesy of Grace Perna
Saraby Satheeshkumar, an undergraduate mentor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, leads an adapted Camp Tiger 2026 summer program at RIT. Students, grade six to eight, in the session “The Anatomy of a Bath Bomb” apply their research of commercial bath bomb ingredients to develop custom recipes.
Yet, I would go home most days and scroll YouTube to find new DIY skincare recipes. I would spend hours researching new baking ideas so that I could make cupcakes without half of the listed ingredients. I learned which fragrance notes lasted longest on my hair and clothes and made my purchases accordingly.
My love for science — and research — was hidden in plain sight. I started this program with the goal of uncovering that same passion for K-12 students who might not care to extract DNA from strawberries but would make their own lotion in a heartbeat. Consequently, we hoped to use cosmetic chemistry as a framework within which students could explore the research process and scientific method in a hands-on manner. We wanted students to ask questions, get creative and learn that science is not as rigid as it may seem in foundational K-12 coursework.
This understanding came shortly after I had the opportunity to mentor a high school research group and realized I wanted to continue working with students directly. However, I also had the context that STEM outreach programs can sometimes exclude those with different interests, and I wanted to address it, at least for those interested in cosmetics and skincare. Our sessions, which were part seminar and part experiment spanned nine topics, such as perfumery and bath bombs, with highlights from experts who use their online presence for science communication. Likewise, our mentors sought to create an environment where students felt comfortable failing; that is about half of what researchers do. But you learn to love it.
Our mentors were volunteers from Rochester Institute of Technology’s American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Student Chapter. With the help of faculty and RIT’s K–12 Programs Office, we piloted the program this past spring at local Rochester public schools and as a summer camp hosted by RIT’s Camp Tiger. We were met with overwhelming support; the greatest challenge was just a matter of presenting a variety of topics in a concise, accessible manner and finding schools that needed our program the most.
Regarding the latter, many of our collaborators were science clubs, as it was easier to coordinate with an existing club. Camp Tiger and other standalone events sample a more general population, and we will focus on these initiatives in the future. In addition, I’ve had a few conversations recently indicating interest from adults as well. However this program evolves, we designed it to have longevity and adaptability: younger RIT students are set to take over the program this year after organizing and leading Camp Tiger, while I’ll be bringing it to schools in Philadelphia during my Ph.D. program.
Source: www.asbmb.org
