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STATE COLLEGE -- Middle school students from across central Pennsylvania will have an opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics through hands-on activities during a free STEM Day for Schools this fall.
Discovery Space is expanding its Maker Faire Happy Valley programming with the event, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 2 at the State College YMCA. The program is being offered in partnership with Kid Tech Inc.
Participation is free for schools, homeschool groups and organized learning cohorts through support from the AAUW State College branch and the Hamer Foundation. Advance registration is required, and space is limited.
"Maker Faire Happy Valley is about inspiring curiosity and celebrating creativity," Discovery Space Executive Director Michele Crowl said. "STEM Day allows us to bring that same energy directly to students during the school day, in case they can't make it to the weekend event."
Students will participate in two-hour sessions, rotating among dozens of interactive experiences presented by educators, makers, businesses, colleges and universities, nonprofits, researchers and industry professionals.
Organizers said students will have opportunities to build, experiment and create while meeting people working in STEM-related fields and learning about potential career paths.
"STEM Day for Schools is a unique opportunity for Central PA middle schoolers," Kid Tech President Liz Kisenwether said. "Our goal is to have the students leave the event with new and broader ideas of what a STEM career can be."
Organizers hope the event will introduce students to professionals with a variety of backgrounds and give them experience with tools, technology and materials they may previously have encountered only in books or online. The program is also intended to demonstrate that STEM careers can involve creativity and collaboration and help students recognize how skills they already possess could translate into future opportunities.
The day's schedule is divided into three sessions. Schools located near the State College YMCA are scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m., while schools traveling from farther away are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Homeschool groups and other educational cohorts are scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m.
STEM Day will lead into Maker Faire Happy Valley, scheduled for Oct. 3 and 4 at Axemann Brewery and Titan Hollow. The weekend event brings together makers, artists, educators, scientists, students and community members for activities centered on creativity, innovation, science, engineering, art and entrepreneurship.
School districts, homeschool organizations and other educational groups interested in attending STEM Day with middle school students can email STEMDay@discoveryspace.org. Space is limited.