The Mineral County STEM Network will host the 10th annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Festival for area students and parents. The event will be held Saturday, March 25 from Noon – 4 p.m. on the WVU Potomac State College, Keyser Campus.
Proposals are easy to submit online for the 2023 Mineral County STEM Festival. Visit the Mineral County STEM Network (mineralstem.com) website and click on the “Apply to Present” tab at the top. Proposals are due by Friday, January 6, 2023 to ensure publication of the presentation description with on-line promotion and flyers that go out to area schools, libraries, and businesses.
Businesses and organizations are encouraged to participate by providing hands-on STEM activities that stimulate interest and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. Interactive experiences are needed that appeal to all levels: elementary, middle and high school students.
Families walk through the buildings and outdoor spaces of the WVU-PSC campus at their own leisure while engaging in interactive experiences offered by facilitators from a multi-state region. Facilitators receive table and chair setups at assigned locations on the WVU PSC campus.
Facilitators will meet with hundreds of families throughout the day as guests visit and engage in activities at a leisurely pace. Most activities are “make and take” or short interactive experiences. Notable past examples have included monarch migration games, SUGO robotics demonstration and build activities, the science of cotton candy (with a free sample treat), miniature catapults, make your own butter, exploring cells, launching rockets, and building miniature parachutes.
This area STEM Festival is modeled after the USA Science and Engineering Festival and Expo held in Washington, D.C. The mission of the festival is to re-invigorate the interest of our youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs and careers by presenting compelling, exciting, educational and entertaining science gatherings.
“It is a popular event for Mineral County and WVU Potomac State College with families traveling from throughout the region to attend. The success is due in large part to the outstanding facilitators who provide quality hands-on STEM learning experiences,” said Margaret Miltenberger, WVU Extension Service 4-H and Family Extension Agent.
The planning committee co-chairpersons are Andrea Schafer, WVU Potomac State College, Craig Kesner, Northrop Grumman and Kelly Haines, Mineral County Schools. If you have questions about submitting a proposal, contact Andrea Schaefer agschafer@mail.wvu.edu at 304-788-7133.
For more information about the Mineral County STEM Network, visit http://mineralstem.com/ and for regular updates on the STEM Festival like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MineralCountySTEM.
