The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Expo unfolded Saturday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, showcasing science, art projects and demonstrations in three buildings for Santa Cruz County students, grades K-12.
“One of the main goals of the Expo is to offer a place for students to exhibit and get feedback on their projects, alongside engaging activities for the whole family,” said Heather Wygant Science coordinator for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.
Pacific Elementary School Sixth grader Ruby Flores showed up with her project, “Changing the Circadian Rhythm in the Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates,” in the Harvest Building alongside scores of student entries. She had no difficulty walking a judging committee through her display of charts, photos, graphics and typed out research.
“It’s exciting to be here,” she said. “I love science, my family loves science and I got involved in the fair as soon as I could. My project was a little bit challenging, but it feels good to be here. People are really excited.”
This year, the SCCOE moved from a traditional science fair model to a STEAM Expo in order to advance equitable access to “inquiry-based learning.”
The event included a water tank for underwater robotics, an inflatable planetarium, a table with a crew to explain the world of endangered condors, a trebuchet competition, math games, art exhibits and much more.
It combined the forces of the California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF), the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and the Invention Convention. Culinary students from Sequoia High School cooked up lunch.
Sebastian Ford, a third-grader from Twin Lake Elementary School, tackled the physics of a bouncing ball for his science project simply titled “Bouncing Ball.”
“It’s my first time being in a science fair like this,” he said while joined by his dad. “I love sports and I love experimenting. I spent time on the internet, with Encyclopedias and social media with my research. It’s just a good feeling being a part of the fair.”
More than just a Science Fair, the STEAM Expo offers a place for students to exhibit and get feedback on their projects, alongside engaging activities for the whole family.
The event enables students to explore their interests and talents by offering different project types and categories from which students can choose, many of which are directly tied to categories represented in California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF), the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and the Invention Convention.
Six PhD candidates in math from US Santa Cruz were also on hand, volunteering to help students learn a number of games and puzzles.
“I’m here because I think math is fun and I want to share my love of math with students in our community,” said UCSC student Jennifer Guerrero, who helped several students learn the basics of a game called Domino Dissection. “It’s important that we show how exciting it can be to learn through play.” For a list of the winners, visit https://steamexpo.santacruzcoe.org/awards
