Hundreds of young people packed the three buildings at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Saturday for the annual STEAM Expo for a chance to show off their creativity and innovation.
Short for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, the STEAM Expo was originally called the science fair.
It included students from around the county, with most school districts represented, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah said.
“It’s exciting for students to have an opportunity to express themselves and show their talent, and also for them to see the interconnectivity between these different fields,” he said. “It’s a time when we feel like we need to bring feelings of hope and excitement to the students and for the entire community.
For his project titled “Make or Break,” Westlake Elementary School fourth-grader Jaden Ross, 10, worked with a classmate to test the resiliency of cardboard houses against wind, water, fire and shaking. Each of the four houses had its own reinforcement material such as plastic, foil and bark.
Jaden said he wanted a project with practical applications that could help people.
The conclusion, he said, was that no single material could stand up to all elements.
“It was a really fun experience,” he said.
