Kids can get excited about pretty much anything, but seeing all that energy and enthusiasm invested in exploring science and engineering is especially thrilling.
Encouraging kids’ interest in STEM is the whole point of the USA Science and Engineering Festival, which means that the Chevron STEM Zone fits right in.
“This festival is such a celebration of all things STEM,” said Blair Blackwell, manager of education and corporate programs at Chevron. “We’ve got thousands of kids coming through here. To be able to see that excitement, to see them get hands-on and see the possibilities to take what they’re learning in their classrooms in science and engineering and relate it to the real world is just incredibly exciting.”
The STEM Zone was a hive of activity throughout the festival, featuring about a dozen different activities for kids to try. Each demonstration or activity illustrated some scientific principle or process, but was designed for maximum fun in order to spark kids’ interest in STEM subjects.
The hope is that by getting children interested in how science and engineering impact the real world at an early age, these kids will continue pursuing those topics throughout their schooling and into their future careers.
“At events like these, students and their parents have the opportunity to come in and get a taste of all the things they can do with science and engineering,” said Blackwell.
Learning STEM Through Play
The STEM Zone held a mix of exhibits, both from Chevron itself as well as several of their non-profit partners.
Project Lead the Way (PLTW), one of the non-profits partnered with Chevron, brought activities to the event. The PLTW activities included a table where kids could work with snap circuits, as well as some robotics that let kids control a simulated supply drop.
PLTW promotes STEM education initiatives for students by focusing on engineering, computer science and biomedical science. The non-profit also provides STEM teaching resources, including curriculums for K-12, professional development training and online collaboration opportunities for educators.
The idea is to ensure that teachers can pass along the skills students need to succeed in STEM careers.
TechBridge Girls is another of Chevron’s non-profit partners which joined in the fun at the STEM Zone. The organization’s mandate is to encourage young girls in middle and high school to pursue their education in STEM.
To that end, TechBridge Girls brought activities centered around building light-up pens with circuits and LEDs, and creating personal lip balms. These activities exemplify what TechBridge is working toward: ensuring that girls gain the introduction, support and mentorship they need in STEM education.
The kids who come to events like the Science and Engineering Festival and STEM Zone are the engineers, researchers and technicians of the future. The fact that they are at the festival means they are already interested in STEM—or at least their parents are. All that remains is for us to inspire them now, get them into STEM early and support them in their journeys.
STEM literacy is essential, said Blackwell. Engineers and scientists design, build, create and innovate just about everything in our homes, cities and across the country. And STEM always wants new minds, because there’s no way to know whose idea could be the next big breakthrough.
“It’s about ensuring that our students and everyone in our communities are STEM literate. This is incredibly important,” Blackwell stated.
Chevron and the Mobile Fab Lab
The STEM Zone is only one of the STEM programs that Chevron supports. It is also committed to a USD$10 million initiative to create 10 Fab Labs across the country in communities where Chevron operates. So far, five are up and running, with the other five in process.
While these Fab Labs are certainly fabulous, in this case the “Fab” stands for “Fabrication.” Part of a collaboration between Chevron and the Fab Foundation, the mobile Fab Labs are travelling trailers packed to the brim with the tech and tools for students to try their hand at design, 3D printing, cutting and routing.
Being mobile, these trailers are able to visit schools and communities around the country, offering the fabrication experience to students who might not otherwise have access to these tools.
If you missed the STEM Zone at the USA Science and Engineering Festival, don’t despair!
The Chevron team makes appearances at events across the country. Visit the Chevron STEM Zone website for more details about their programs and future event appearances.
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