Our Community
Our college is made up of dedicated faculty and students who desire to have an extensive impact on our local, regional and global community. Scientific and mathematical discovery can provide the public with the knowledge, understanding and analytical decision-making skills to help move our world in positive directions.
Building a community of scientifically-literate citizens with a passion for public service is tantamount to our success as educators.
Inclusivity in STEM
We are committed to DU’s culture of inclusive excellence and recognize that a community or institution's success is dependent on how well it values, engages and includes each voice in every conversation. Our goal is for inclusive excellence to be an embedded habit that is practiced consistently throughout our institution.
Our faculty, students and postdocs lead, participate in and support a number of initiatives to increase the accessibility of STEM programs including strategic on-boarding programs for undergraduates. Faculty support is a resource available to all of our students to maximize their time at DU.
Learn MoreCommunity Engagement Programs
Creating space to engage young investigators helps foster an inquisitive mind and cultivate future generations of informed, scientifically-literate citizens. We are dedicated to stewardship of programs that provide a place for local youth to explore their curiosity and discover their power as scientific investigators.
Denver Public Schools Science Fair
Every January, DU hosts the annual Denver Public School District Science Fair. This year, students from kindergarten through grade 11 submitted over 200 projects. Award-winning projects included The Effects of Sunlight on My Homemade Solar Cell and The Effect of Jello Density on the Speed of Light.
Our chemistry and biology faculty are integral in bringing the science fair to campus to bridge the gap to community youth.
Math | Culture | Environment Academy (M|C|E) – Denver
Led by physics faculty, M|C|E serves Native American youth interested in math studies. Originally launched in Boston, M|C|E is now at DU to help participants succeed in the classroom and beyond by connecting academic curriculum to Native American knowledge and practices.
DU’s M|C|E program includes a mathematics-focused summer camp for local Native American high school students with undergraduate students serving as mentors. During the school year, our undergraduates run monthly labs on math, culture and environment in local elementary schools, as well as participating in activities like plant walks and visits to Chamberlin Observatory.
National Geographic State GeoBee
Every March, students from all over Colorado visit DU to participate in the State GeoBee, a qualifying competition leading into the national competition in Washington D.C. The 15-year partnership between our geography department and National Geographic brings the state's top 100 geography students, from grades four through eight, to campus to compete to win a finalist place in the national spotlight.
This year's State GeoBee is on March 29, 2019.