Outreach! 
Science in our community

  Cool Science Carnival 

Check out the Cool Science Carnival in Colorado Springs!

Fall 2025 Carnival Information: 
Date:  September 27th, 2025
Location:  UCCS Campus (all over!)
Cost:  Completely free!

Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids at UCCS is truly STEAM on steroids!
Get ready for over 70 hands-on STEAM activity stations!
https://www.coolscience.org/cool-science-carnival-day.html 

Vander Zanden lab outreach at Cool Science Carnival featured in UCCS Communique

Crystal Vander Zanden, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCCS, shows K-12 students how to perform enzyme experiments at the 2021 Cool Science Festival.

Science on Tap Talks

Science on Tap
When: Every 2nd Monday of the month
Where: Jack Quinn's Irish Pub & Restaurant (Colorado Springs)

​Presenters begin at 6:30 pm and typically speak for 60-90 minutes including Q&A, with food and drink available beginning at 6:00 pm.  A wide variety of fascinating topics are presented by local scientists for informal discussion, and the relaxed atmosphere encourages anyone and everyone to come explore the latest ideas in science and technology.
https://www.coolscience.org/science-on-tap.html 

The "Sugar Code" in Cell Signaling

​This talk will discuss an emerging coding scheme in biology where sugars molecules can help us decode cell behavior, explaining why cancer cells metastasize and why immune cells recognize viruses. Biology is driven by codes, most notably DNA coding for our genes that make us who we are. The "Sugar Code" is a new idea that cells display sugar molecules on their surface to communicate with other cells. These sugar patterns change when a cancer cell breaks away from a tumor, which has led to over 14 new drugs in clinical trials aiming to target the sugar code to control cancer cell behavior. We'll discuss the historical perspective of sugars in biochemistry and explore the new role of sugars as coding molecules that are emerging targets in cancer treatment.  

Cooking with Starches
- A virtual science cooking workshop

January 2021

​​Join us for this fun & interactive cooking class where Gather Food Studio joins with Crystal M. Vander Zanden, Ph.D. to teach you how starches work in our food!

Treatment and Drug Development in Alzheimer's Disease

September 2021

The presentation will include a description of Alzheimer's disease biochemistry and ongoing treatment efforts.  The talk will include a discussion of the highly controversial June 2021 FDA approval of Aduhelm, the first new treatment approved for Alzheimer's disease since 2003.  The talk will also include research at UCCS that aims to understand how a compound isolated from turmeric may provide neuroprotection against Alzheimer's.