Tools of engagement

Young minds (and the busy hands that accompany them) were thoroughly spellbound at Thursday's Science Festival in the Field House, where area elementary and middle school students and their families stepped into an astonishing STEM playground. Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lycoming College and the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce partnered with exhibitors for three hours of demonstrations and activities designed to ignite an enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and math. "We had 403 participants, which is very exciting considering we missed a year and weren’t able to host the fifth grade daytime event based on uncertainty over COVID during planning," said Tanya Berfield, director of K-12 Outreach, whose office coordinated the highly popular and interactive event.  "The vendor reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, too!" Penn College was well-represented among those exhibitors, with contributions from the Alpha Chi honor society, the ConCreate Design Club, the Electrical Technology and Nursing departments, and the LEAP Center.

– Photos by Alexis M. Burrell, student photographer

 

VEX Robotics set up two 6-by-8 courts on which attendees could drive robots. A Loyalsock Township Middle School sixth grader here teaches kids how to control the robots, manuevering them to pick up and transport cubes. (The other stand, for high schoolers, used balls instead of cubes.)

A wind tunnel carries the breath of fascination.

The younger, the better, when instilling a "hands-on" philosophy

Parachuting soldiers, constructed on-site, are launched high above the exhibition floor.

Electrical technology students make a show of "red light, green light."

Yet another popular spot: the make-your-own-button station!

Entranced eyes track a robot as it follows a marker-drawn route.

The science of scat: Participants try to gamely determine which Pennsylvania animals left which droppings.

Honey sticks were among the giveaways at this booth, where children could pet a mounted bear cub.

Using a blacklight, Alpha Chi educated people on germs and handwashing. (This particular girl spent a looooong time in the bathroom scrubbing her hands and was horrified when the light revealed the stubbornly remaining microorganisms.)

Lycoming County Resource Management Services imparts the benefits of recycling.

Children look at a 3D model rendering of the Field House on a Larson Design Group monitor.