Leonard Gelfand Center

09/25/2026

We’re off to a great start with our Fall 2026 Gelfand Outreach programs! 🍂
We had an amazing time this past weekend kicking off our first session of GO Saturday classes just before the snowstorm hit and we had a great time!

Our participants explored everything from Complex Fluid Toys and Bug Bots to Rocketry, Math Turned Inside Out, and Engineering Sustainable Materials. 🚀🤖🧪
A huge thank you to our amazing participants, teachers, and TAs for making our first fall program such a success!

And we’re just getting started! We still have spots available for our October classes, so be sure to sign up and join us for more hands-on STEM fun!
We can’t wait to see you there!

09/14/2026

It is a pleasure to share our first annual Year in Review of the Gelfand Center! Thank you to our community and all the partners who bring meaning to our work. https://tinyurl.com/LGCYearinreview26

08/26/2026

We are incredibly saddened to learn of the recent passing of our beloved donor, Bernard Meisner (MCS 1971). Bernard was not only a generous supporter of the Gelfand Center, but a teacher, mentor, scientist, meteorologist, genealogist, advocate, and friend.

Seen here with Mara Kudrick and Pamela J Piskurich, our Director of educational outreach initiatives, on a recent campus visit, Bernard's endowment for the center allows the Gelfand Outreach Saturday and Summer programs to offer scholarships so that all children are able to attend. We are forever grateful for his commitment to STEM education, his love of the CMU community, and his trust in the Gelfand Center 💚

To learn more about Bernard's incredible life, you can read his obituary here: https://tinyurl.com/w3d29nfb

07/28/2026

07/07/2026

Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of hosting the inaugural CMU Teacher Summer Camp with ! Check out this beautiful article, and learn more about all of the incredible workshops and activities our regional educators participated in. It was a week of making, problem-solving, collaborating, and joy. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Hosted by CMU’s Leonard Gelfand Center for Service Learning and Outreach, an inaugural Teacher Summer Camp brought together 31 participants who toured the university’s facilities, conducted experiments in CMU laboratories, explored the library’s special collections and took part in workshops i...

05/12/2026

That’s a wrap on our Gelfand Outreach Spring 2026 classes! We had an incredible time back in April wrapping up the semester with some truly amazing highlights.

A huge thank you to our brilliant participants, dedicated professors, and the student volunteers who give their time and energy to make STEM come alive. A special shoutout to those students and families who have been part of our Gelfand community for many years. Your commitment is what makes this program special!

But we’re not done yet! Keep an eye out for us as we head into our summer programming. We can’t wait to see you there!

04/09/2026

Join us on April 18th for a full day of hands-on workshops!

Registration Link: https://gelfand-webapps.andrew.cmu.edu/fmi/webd/GelfandOutreach_Web?homeurl=https://gelfand-webapps.andrew.cmu.edu

04/06/2026

Science, creativity, and curiosity were in full swing with our March Gelfand Outreach classes! Here are some highlights from a few other featured courses, including “All About the Brain,” “Homemade Cosmetics,” and “Liquid Science.”

Missed out or want to join us? We still have spots available for our April 18th classes. Sign up while you can!

03/25/2026

We had a great time this past Saturday at the March session for our Spring series Gelfand Outreach classes. Thank you to all teachers and TAs who helped make this weekend a success. A special shoutout to Dr. Xaq Pitkow for hosting his popular class, "Brains & AI, Origami & Illusions", and Dr. Maarten Sap and Dr. Daniel Fried for hosting their brand new class, "Communicating with People and AI". Students commented they had a blast!