Foundation hosts STEM Night

Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Baby chicks chirped, drones performed demos, artifacts emerged and bug chips crunched at Jefferson Somerset cafeteria on Tuesday evening, May 10. It was STEM Night, with 10 interactive stations set up by local groups that use science, technology, engineering or math expertise every day on the job.
The event, organized by the Jefferson County Educational Foundation (JCEF), brought community partners together with fourth through eighth grade students and their families for engaging activities in the STEM fields.
Stations included the following:

1 – Micro Computers (North Florida College) offered an exploration of robotics, games and STEM using a microcomputer.
2 – 3-D Experience (Somerset/Taveres) presented a mixed reality learning experience with zSpace and Merge Cube.
3 – Cock a Doodle Doo (FAMU-IFAS) taught about chicken embryology and ethical animal/livestock care and production, with live chicks on display.
4 – Observations (Somerset/Hallett) guided participants to collect, display and interpret data and then make an informed prediction.
5 – I Ate a Bug (FAMU-IFAS) offered an entomophagy experience (the practice of eating insects).
6 – Making Baby Plants (Somerset/FFA/Prevatt) allowed students to start a new plant from a cutting and take it home.
7 – Let There Be Light (Tri-County Electric) presented a tabletop 3-D model of a community to demonstrate an electric system grid.
8 – Progging Experience (North Florida College) allowed participants to write computer programming code using Python.
9 – Eco-bots (UF-IFAS) inspired students to design an Eco-bot to perform a simulated environmental cleanup project.
10 – What Lies Beneath (Aucilla Research Institute) displayed Native American artifacts recovered locally and demonstrated how a GSSI ground penetrating radar can be used in the field of archaeology.
Grant funding for STEM Night was provided by the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, the State of Florida, the Support Education license plate and Duke Energy. Comcast provided ChromeBooks for door prizes at the end of the evening, and parting gift bags were given to all attendees.
JCEF aims “to enhance educational opportunity, learning performance, and employment opportunity for the children, youth and other citizens of Jefferson County.”
For more information about how to support Jefferson County Schools through membership in JCEF, send an email to JCEF32344@gmail.com.