WAUKEGAN – U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Deerfield, recently hosted the 2021-22 class of STEAM Scholars at the Lake County Coroner’s Office.

Twenty students from 13 schools across the district joined Schneider to learn about STEAM opportunities with Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek and see how an autopsy is done.

“It was a wonderful experience taking this year’s class of STEAM Scholars to the Lake County Coroner’s Office,” Schneider said in a news release. “By giving students the chance to hear from local mentors like Coroner Jen Banek, they learned how to utilize STEAM skills to one day make a difference in their community. For America to have justice, we need our students to be great scientists and technicians.”

Banek, Forensic Pathologist Dr. Eimad Zakariya, Deputy Coroner Robert James and Deputy Coroner Kiersten Reif talked with the students about their roles at the coroner’s office, gave a tour of the toxicology lab and led students through a mock autopsy.

This was Schneider’s second STEAM Scholar visit for the 2021-22 school year. Students in the STEAM Scholars program will join Schneider on visits to four local STEAM-related businesses and organizations during the course of the program. On these visits, students participate in discussions with local employees, business owners and educators and learn more about STEAM career opportunities.

In previous classes, students visited Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Clorox Manufacturing, Chicago Executive Airport, the chemistry and photonics labs at College of Lake County, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Jessup Manufacturing.