Youngstown State University’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will be taking part in OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology’s upcoming 7 Days of STEM event.
This is Youngstown’s first regional science and technology fair. The College of STEM at YSU, as well as the university’s planetarium, will be a part of the festival.
Martin Abraham, dean of STEM, is excited to showcase the college’s accomplishments.
“This is an opportunity to celebrate STEM efforts within the Valley,” Abraham said. “I would really want to encourage people to come out and take part in the activities throughout the week. There’s something for everyone, and this will provide a great opportunity for everyone to see how STEM impacts so much of their lives.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the College of STEM will be hosting guest speaker Tom Serenko, head of the Ohio Geological Survey. On Thursday, Sept. 18, the planetarium will be holding a sneak peak of The Dynamic Earth, a course available at YSU.
High school students who are interested in a STEM career will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a Youngstown STEM senior on Friday, Sept. 19. Emilie Eberth, STEM academic adviser, believes current STEM faculty can help influence interested potential students to pursue a career in the field.
“We have planned STEM Student for a Day, where we are affording the opportunity for high school seniors to be paired with a current STEM student in their major of interest to basically shadow them for a few hours,” Eberth said. “They will go to a couple classes, lunch and meet a faculty member in their interest area, as well as see some of our facilities.”
On Saturday, Sept. 20, the College of STEM will take part in a robotics competition.
They will also take part in a closing event at OH WOW — Silly Science Sunday — the annual Sunday event around which the festival was built.
Katie Seminara, assistant manager at OH WOW, said there are a host of events to get people excited about STEM.
“Events are geared toward family, teens and adults,” Seminara said. “It kicks off on Monday in some area schools, where we will bring a STEM assembly to get kids excited. Tuesday starts the open-to-the-public events. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is coming down to do an event.”
NASA will help kick off the public events on Tuesday, Sept. 16, with their Astronaut for a Day event.
Other activities throughout the week include a STEM Trivia Showdown, an art and technology exhibit at the Butler Art Museum, a look at birth control in The Science of Contraception, a digital scavenger hunt and a Lego Lab.
For a complete calendar of events, visit ohwowkids.org.
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