Philip Temple
In Motion Staff Writer
As the News Journal Center opened its doors, students poured into its lobby. Anxious footsteps fumbled through the doorways eager to begin the second annual STEM Expo held last month.
Photo by: Brianne Lehan/In Motion
More than 500 hungry minds from high schools around Volusia County stood in shock and awe as they took in the sights, sounds and robots at the 2014 Science Technology Engineering and Math Exposition.
All eyes were on Spruce Creek High School’s climbing, flying disc-throwing, handmade robot. Kim Wrenne handled a controller operating her school’s robot from the sidelines. The invention was part of a competition where participating schools are given six weeks to build a robot. The robot Spruce Creek brought to the Expo was from last year, where the specifications for this particular gear-turning gadget included the ability to climb a 10- foot pyramid. Students’ intelligent engineering moved them on to take part in the world championship in St. Louis, Missouri. This metal marvel spun, rolled and climbed at the STEM Expo throughout the day, making students stop in their tracks to give the device their full attention.
The STEM Expo, held Feb. 7, presented its audience with not only skillful and young scientists, but also a humorous half hour with comedian and ex-NASA employee Shayla Rivera. She is most likely the only female Hispanic rocket scientist/comedian around, and with an auditorium full of people, she explained how she did it. She spoke on how she got to where she is and how the young scientist or comedian in the crowd could do the same, and even more. Her jovial personality and contagious enthusiasm made it hard not to be excited and entertained by her presence.
The evening was filled with other speakers, who were also enthusiastic about introducing their field and their work to the inquiring students. Each presentation presented the students with another direction they could steer their futures.
The Army also took part in the action at the Expo, in the form of the Embry Riddle Aeronautrical University’s ROTC Eagle battalion which was suited up and taking questions. Freddie Rincon explained how the Army supports their officers by furthering their education, especially in fields having to do with science, technology and engineering. Rincon said that the Army even aids academic progress for their soldiers and officers. “They create mentor groups so that if you are having any difficulty at all, then you can go to your mentors.”
As the 2014 STEM expo came to a close, and the mountain of empty pizza boxes accumulated around the garbage cans, students boarded their yellow metal vessels and rode home excited, inspired and tired. The STEM Expo is an effort to plant a seed in the minds of young students to give them an idea as to what they want to do when they go off to college; and maybe those students will be the speakers for future STEM events.
“Our goal for this year’s Expo was to convey to the students that the STEM disciplines are in play everywhere; even in careers that one normally wouldn’t associate with STEM. There is science and technology behind everything,” said Joe Mercier, Daytona State’s STEM coordinator, in a press release following the event.