Can volunteers really make an impact? Lori Haak, a member of the Minnesota Academy of Science Board of Directors, answered this question with a resounding affirmative at a recent Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement event. Watch Lori’s video from the event or read on below to learn about the positive and lasting influence volunteer Science Fair judges have on STEM students.

In her video, Lori describes arriving at a high school regional Science Fair as a nervous teenager, unsure about her place in science. However, talking with the science professionals who volunteered to evaluate Science Fair projects made a huge impression on her. She reflects back to this experience, remembering that “these adults with clipboards are intimidating. Yet they listen to my research as if it is the  most compelling scientific breakthrough they have ever heard - and they are real scientists. They ask thoughtful, probing questions. They encourage aspiring scientists like me all morning. They are volunteers.”

Through discussing her Science Fair project with these volunteer judges, Lori was encouraged to discover that working scientists face frustrations and obstacles in their research. As a high school student with an interest in science,”the comments on the judging sheets represent mere moments and scrawled comments to the judges - although I am certain they enjoyed their time as volunteer judges too - but to me, the comments  are enough encouragement to continue in science and pay forward the investments of others.”  

As an adult, Lori has channeled her interest in science into jobs such as a high school biology teacher and a Water Resources Coordinator with the City of Eden Prairie. Reflecting on her early experiences as a student interacting with volunteer STEM judges, Lori remarks, “volunteering really does have an impact. Even small investments of time and energy change minds and lives.”

Each year, hundreds of volunteers make real, long-lasting impacts on the lives of Minnesota STEM students through our educational programs. Please visit our volunteer page to learn more about opportunities to volunteer with the Minnesota Academy of Science. To find out about volunteer positions with other organizations, visit our Minnesota STEM volunteering opportunities page or our community science page.