JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A total of 550 students and their instructors were in Jamestown for the annual STEMtastic and TechSavvy event March 9th on the University of Jamestown campus
Local, state, and even regional companies that are comprised of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers volunteer and support the event each year. Event co-chair Erica Althoff says it’s great for area students to get this hands-on experience.
Althoff says prior to the event, 7th and 8th grade students go through a list of 40 presenters and select the top three they want to see over the day.
Some topics covered over the day included dentistry, chemistry, pharmacy, engineering, wildlife biology, drones, graphic design, transportation and more.
Chance, a Jamestown 8th grader, shared some of the presentations she signed up for.
She added that she has always been interested in art, so the Pour the Paint presentation with artist Nicole Gagner was her favorite.
Through hands-on workshops, exposure to STEM professionals and role models, and a conversation on engineering problem solving principles followed by small group activity to put their knowledge into practices, students are encouraged to see themselves as future scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer scientists.
Area schools that participated in the event included Jamestown Middle School, Medina, Pingree-Buchanan, Montpelier, Litchville-Marion, Gackle-Streeter, Hillcrest Academy, Barnes County North, and Edgeley.
A keynote speaker from NASA kicked off the day.
The event was sponsored by AAUW Jamestown with numerous others including the Optimist Club, Knights of Columbus, Interstate Engineering, Jamestown School District 1, University of Jamestown, and the ND Stem Network.
