Activities

Come learn about the technology we use everyday! We have two different sets of activities based on grade level. For our middle, junior, and high school students, we have a technology crossword and word search. For our younger elementary students, we have two activities. The first is a presentation about S.M.A.R.T. safety tips when using technology and the internet. 

The Texas Advanced Computing Center at UT Austin is home to some of the fastest supercomputers in the world. Researchers and students use cutting-edge technologies to help advance knowledge on climate change, space debris, and urban waterways.

Take a virtual tour of Texas Memorial Museum and explore the museum through the eyes of a UT undergraduate student. Discover creatures from Texas' prehistoric past, exhibits that highlight wildlife in the natural regions of Texas and take a look at the Texas Pterosaur, the largest winged animal that ever lived, and Austin's own Onion Creek Mosasaur.

Nursing is one of the most diverse, satisfying, and fastest-growing occupations in the country.  Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and whether it may be the right career choice for you.

Are you thinking about becoming a nurse, a nurse practitioner, or a nurse researcher? Explore the many pathways to a career in nursing, including an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a master’s degree in nursing, and a doctoral degree in nursing.

The discovery module on emergency preparedness will help teach kids and families about how to be prepared for emergencies such as fires, floods, winter storms, and man-made disasters. This short program will cover important information, such as a checklist on how to build an emergency kit, tips to remain safe in different types of emergencies, the dos and don’ts of certain unsafe situations, emergency numbers to keep on hand, and a mix of games and quizzes to engage viewers and facilitate learning. By being aware of the different roles, resources, and responsibilities involved in emergency preparedness and disasters, you can help keep yourself, your family, and community safe.

Spending more time than ever in front of a screen? Learn how screen time and social media can impact your brain. Dell Med students Anne Nguyen, Ananya Roy, and Karina Albab have created a video discussing the positive and negative mental health outcomes of social media use.

Education is a critical component of Livestrong Cancer Institutes’ mission and work. The goal of these programs is to reinvigorate cancer education at every age. Explore Livestrong Cancer Institutes’ podcast, curriculum, and program opportunities!

Switch explores the world’s leading energy sites, from coal to solar, oil to biofuels, and gets straight answers from the international leaders driving energy today. This documentary is approximately one hour and 40 minutes long. Links to the Switch Energy lab video series are also included in this educational resource. 

Join Dr. Scott Tinker on an amazing global adventure to remote corners of Africa, Asia and Latin America to meet leaders, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens working to eradicate 'energy poverty' in their countries. In a journey that's enlightening and emotional, uplifting and unforgettable, Switch On will change the way you look at energy and the developing world forever. The entire documentary is approximately one hour and 20 minutes long. Links to the Switch On Energy Poverty video series which are approximately 20 minutes long each are also included in this educational resource.

EarthDate is a public service radio program and accompanying website with a mission to engage listeners in Earth science and connect them to the wonders of their world. Each EarthDate radio episode tells a captivating two-minute story that reminds listeners how science can enlighten, educate, and entertain. Every topic is accompanied by an article, educational PDFs for classroom or home use, and links to further reading on the EarthDate website. EarthDate was conceived of and is hosted by Dr. Scott W. Tinker, Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin. Each episode is written and directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Harry Lynch and researched by Juli Hennings, a career geoscientist.

Hurricanes, one of the most powerful natural hazards, are intense low-pressure weather systems that form in tropical waters. In this presentation you will learn more about hurricanes and how these powerful storms have impacted the Texas coastal environment.

A look at the basic definitions of weather and climate and the actual elements of weather (things we observe and forecast) as well a brief look at the various weather hazards that we experience here in Central Texas.

Learn about nurdles, tiny plastic pellets that frequently turn up along the Texas coast and endanger wildlife, from whales to sea turtles. Jace Tunnell, Director of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, will also tell you how you can help by doing a nurdle survey and reporting your findings.

Many students have heard about the dangers of climate change, but don’t know how it happens or what we can do to reduce the amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) that’s already in the air. Discover how scientists from the Gulf Coast Carbon Center hope to change this by educating communities about the greenhouse gas effect and the benefits of carbon capture and storage.

Fossils are evidence of past life. But how much information do different kinds of fossils reveal? In this lesson, two paleontologists will discuss how the rock record preserves a wealth of clues on how extinct organisms interacted with their environments.

This video presentation of Space: Fact vs. Fiction contrasts a number of common and not so common misconceptions about space by sharing the real facts about those issues. Issue topics include gravity, living in space, rockets, atmospheric entry, the costs and benefits of space exploration, the civilian space program, Star Trek and extra-terrestrials.

In this series of short videos, you’ll meet members of the main groups of invertebrates that live in the ocean—anemones, corals, snails, shrimp, crabs, sea stars and sea urchins. And just for fun, you’ll also meet some of the most popular vertebrates on the 40 Acres: residents of the UT Turtle Pond.

Building a model of the human lungs and diaphragm using balloons to understand how they work. Our lungs are vital to our body's respiratory system and our ability to acquire oxygen. The bottom balloon works like your diaphragm, which is a strong muscle that expands and contracts, causing the lungs to fill with air and then emptying it.

Welcome to Dr. Jessica Church-Lang’s Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. Our lab researches cognitive development throughout late childhood and early adolescence. We are a dynamic group of researchers who are passionate about kids’ brains. In our lab, we use methods such as behavioral testing and fMRI to look at how the brain and behavior change over time and study how these changes relate to mental health and academic skills.

Join Greg Clark from the Freshman Research Initiative Cell Signaling team to discover how plants have unexpected abilities to sense and respond to stimuli and "talk with" each other and with animals. Learn how plants sense and respond to changes in their environment and how plants are able to communicate using a chemical language.

Take the "Which Nutrition Job Best Fits Your Personality?" quiz and then discover more about nutrition professions by navigating through fun interviews with future Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.

Toma el cuestionario "¿Qué trabajo de nutrición se adapta mejor a tu personalidad?" y descubre profesiones nutricionales que te interesan. Después, ve el video que corresponde con el resultado del cuestionario para ver entrevistas con futuras Nutricionist.

This video tour, an Urban Safari of the UT Austin campus, explores the natural world of our urban spaces and includes common – and not so common – organisms that can be found on campus.  It highlights challenges facing urban nature and spotlights areas where there has been success in encouraging plants, animals and microbes to flourish.

This virtual nature tour of the UT campus and around Austin utilizes the format of a choose-your-own-adventure game. Players can choose where to go, what to see, and with which systems they want to interact. Along the way, adventurers can discover the variety of ecosystems that exist and the organisms that inhabit them.

Join us to learn about the the geological formations and rocks that can be found in any "backyard." During this session you'll learn about types of rocks you might find in your backyard or local parks and creeks. You'll discover how to identify them, how they formed and how to create a rock collection.  We hope this will help you gain a stronger understanding of the natural processes that create the landscape we inhabit.  We hope you will be inspired to explore becoming a hobby, or full time, geologist.

We know that the human heart is an incredible pumping machine. Join Rachel Wallace Ph.D., Jessica Ibarra Ph.D., Brian Miller Ph.D. as they take you on an exploration of the human heart. Did you know that every time the heart beats, blood is pumped from the heart to the lungs and to the entire body? A heart in a human being who is 80 years old will have beaten approximately 3 billion times. A single heart can be described as containing two different pumps – one side pumps blood to the lungs where it can absorb oxygen, the other side pumps the oxygenated blood to the entire body.  In this presentation, we will demonstrate certain major elements of the anatomy of the human heart, including the four major heart valves, and explain how these valves function and generate the distinct sounds heard during each heartbeat.

Public health professionals are leading the response to the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide. This video presentation will use the pandemic to answer the question “What is Public Health?” and provide high school teachers with resources to help them explore this dynamic and impactful field with their students. Participants will also learn about the UT Austin Undergraduate Public Health Program and meet some of UT Austin’s public health graduates!

Experimental Archaeologist, Sergio J Ayala, discusses and demonstrates the role of experimental archaeology and how this advances the understanding of ancient stone tool industries and the prehistoric individual. Sergio also demonstrates the strategies in Clovis dart point technologies, starting with the earliest steps of large bifacial reduction.

Meet three undergrad students on their medical school journey while they share their experiences as they prepare for medical school. They will walk you through their undergrad academic, extra-curricular, and leisure decisions and share what they’ve learned throughout their experience.

Dr. Scott Tinker demystifies the complex world of energy and gets to the core of concepts through unexpected experiments and fieldwork. For viewers of all ages and experience levels.

Create hands-on, creative bookmarks with the CRC to show off your love of science!

Join the campers from the 2020 Dell Medical School Health Sciences Virtual Summer Camps to learn about cholera and the importance of reliable sources of clean water for public health.

Dell Med neurologist Dr. Steve Steffensen helps Central Texas K-12 students gain a hands-on understanding of the brain by creating their own mini brain models. Try it out at home with easy to find materials!