In February, the Battles Lab participated in the 1st Annual Science, Engineering, Math and Technology (STEM) Career Fair in Oakland, CA, put on by the non-profit SEM Link, Inc. 
The goal of the event was to expose K-12 youth (particularly underrepresented minorities) to real-world applications of math and science by connecting them to STEM professionals and promoting hands-on learning experiences. The fair brought in over 45 Bay Area youth, mostly middle-school aged and younger, including a large group from Girls Inc. of Alameda County. Our exhibit showcased a career as a forest ecologist, with examples of the types of questions we try to answer about the environment. We demonstrated how dendrochronology can be used as a tool to answer environmental questions ranging from climate change, historical disturbances (fire, land slides, hurricanes), to effects of air pollution on forest health. The kids were really excited to learn about tree rings and how trees grow, particularly when they got to practice coring a real tree trunk and looking at tree cores under the microscope! 
Battles Lab
Forest Ecology & Ecosystem Dynamics at the University of California, Berkeley