Families Explore the World of STEM Activities
Beaumont ISD recently hosted STEM Night with robots, drones, 3D printing, augmented and virtual reality tools, science experiments, math projects, science fair projects and more families to enjoy. The purpose of the event was to highlight STEM or STEAM activities in the District.
“Every campus did a great job setting up their booth. The drone tent with Early College High School (ECHS), the CO2 race cars from Marshall, tie-dye with Smith and Fletcher’s slime activity were a few of the favorites,” said STEM Coordinator Joy Schwartz.
A special exhibit at the event was a regulation size 3D printed Formula One Race Car. Caldwood, Curtis, Odom, Marshall, Vincent, West Brook and the BISD STEM Center worked with other schools across the nation to print pieces for the car.
ExxonMobil, BASF and Lamar Institute of Technology set up booths and special exhibitors included the BISD Planetarium, GT-TAME, Back to Space and the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME) Trailblazer which is a mobile 40-foot STEM-museum. “We are proud to bring the TAME trailer to BISD to support science education,” said BASF Site Development Manager Laura Austin “It’s important that students and the community have the opportunity to learn about science in a fun, hands-on environment, as well as jobs in the STEM field.”
BASF sponsored the TAME trailer to visit ECHS the following day as well. Principal Melanie Pharis explained that her campus works tirelessly to expose students to hands-on experiences to support STEM education and interest in those fields. “Nothing is more effective than showing real-world applications of the content learned in the classroom,” said Pharis.
Schwartz was extremely pleased with the event, which had 400 in attendance. “I am excited for our students that our teachers have embraced STEM and are incorporating these ideas into their classes. My hope is that we continue to grow as a district and provide even more opportunities for our students to develop and practice their collaboration and communication skills while applying their science and math skills to solve global problems,” said Schwartz. “We have no idea what future careers we are preparing our students for or what challenges they may face, but we can provide them with a set of STEM tools that are applicable for any situation.”
Click here to view photos from the event.