Easily transportable user-friendly table-top color science laboratory

Students and faculty of the Optical Systems Technology Program at Monroe Community College have developed and deployed a narrative-based, mobile color science laboratory for public STEM outreach in the greater Rochester, New York region. The laboratory consists of a series of experimental demonstrations designed for hands-on self-exploration and guided instruction by trained optics students and outreach staff. Visitors to the lab learn about the hidden color world of white light and how different light sources generate color differently. Participants leave the classroom with a greater understanding of how illumination sources and imaging displays create the color present in their daily lives. Each experiment is designed to be robust, easily transportable, quick to assemble on any standard table, and safe for interaction by people of all ages. To date, the color science laboratory has been deployed at both on-campus and multiple, high-profile, off-site events, reaching several thousand members of the general public and inspiring the next generation of STEM students.