Families of Girl Scouts attending a stem cell outreach event at Monona Terrace

Outreach

Our Stem Cell Learning Lab was made possible by a grant from the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. Through this effort, we seek to build a greater understanding of stem cell research and regenerative medicine into school and community science outreach programs. Our UW-Madison stem cell outreach labs are among the very few in the country and continue to place Madison at the forefront of stem cell research education and science education. We hope teachers will be able to take advantage of our opportunities and provide more of these unique experiences to their students.

Through this free, hands-on experience in our lab at the Biotechnology Center, learners view real stem cells under the microscope and use the same equipment and methods our researchers use to prepare and grow their cells. Our participants use realistic cell and media substitutes due to cost and biosafety restrictions.

To help your visit run smoothly, please contact the Stem Cell Learning Lab.

If you are interested in scheduling a speaker on stem cells and regenerative medicine for your group, please contact Badger Talks.

Our outreach programs tap into many existing UW-Madison science programs, including Science Expeditions, the Wisconsin Science Festival, Grandparents University and UW-Extension 4-H Youth Development. Our Stem Cell Learning Lab is a collaboration among the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Biotechnology Center, WiCellWisconsin National Primate Research CenterStudent Society for Stem Cell Research (SSSCR)Wisconsin Stem Cell Roundtable (WiSCR), and Community Partnerships and Outreach Staff Network.

Since 2010, our stem cell outreach programs have reached more than 55,000 learners face to face.

TED Talk video still

What are stem cells? TED-Ed video and curriculum produced September 2013 by Craig A. Kohn in conjunction with the UW-Madison Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center. (Includes lesson plans updated in 2019 for teachers!)

Mimi video still

In this educational video, Mimi Gerner, who was a research specialist in the lab of David Gamm, M.D., Ph.D., describes basic stem cell culture techniques.

(Produced by the UW-Madison Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center, September 2012.)