Students at the Allen County Primary Center learned about where science, technology, engineering, and math will be going in the 21st Century during a special presentation Tuesday. Second and third grade students followed the instructions of a high-tech prototype robot and witnessed 3-D printing up close as part of a mobile STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Museum program.
Class-after-class of intrigued students filed into the gym to witness Mark Bishop of the Michigan-based Mobile Ed. Productions, introduce the mobile educational museum and explain the goal behind the visual presentation.
“I’m hoping to start a colonel of growth by planting a seed today,” Bishop said. “I hope that after today, a student will say that I’m interested in learning more about science, technology, engineering or math. I hope this will propel them to start thinking and learning more about all they see here today.”
After a brief introduction and explanation of what was on display around the gym, students were allowed to walk around and look, up-close, at various displays. The students could learn more about holograms or see an example of Newton’s Laws of Motion---a visual demonstration that once an object is put into motion, an equal and opposite reaction will occur. The classes could also learn more about pulleys or watch a 3-D printer create a 3-D model from input entered into the computer. The students could also build a parabolic arch out of large kid-friendly foam blocks (with the help of a parent volunteer) and learn how this incredibly strong structure functions as well as have a little fun with friction racers.
Words like “wow” and “cool” were heard as students walked from station-to-station looking at the various displays---including a visual display on robots. The students were also introduced to an actual robot---a robot that asked the kids to follow its lead in lifting and moving its arms and legs as well as setting and standing. Needless to say, the robot led to many questions.
“This is a humanoid robot,” Bishop explained. “He has the tendencies of a human. He can grab things, he can walk and talk, and he can see.”
The STEM Museum was sponsored jointly by the Allen County Parent-Teacher Organization and the Primary Center.