STEAM Works once again filled Automotive High School with art and invention to inspire kids (of all ages) to get their hands working, which helps the mind create and learn. Kate Yourke founder of Make: STEAM invites a posse of experts who each have a unique take on science, tech, engineering, art, and math (each of the exhibitors bridge at least two of those domains) for this Festival of Curiosity. The Physics Bus: a mobile exhibition of upcycled appliances reimagined by kids showcased unfamiliar physics phenomena. The Buckminster Fuller Institute in their mission to progress science in design to solve global problems guided visitors in structure building from small scale: tooth picks attached with marshmallows then on to 8 foot tetrahedral – all using the structural stability of triangles and tetrahedra, which is far superior to that of squares and cubes.
The Museum of Interesting Things: a traveling interactive demonstration/exhibition of antiques and inventions is always a popular draw. Ken Butler brought a selection of his hybrid musical instruments made from common and uncommon objects. Terry Dame also brought an array of inventive instruments. Vinny Voltage held an air-powered paper rocket contest. Gerb-o-Matic, Art in the Lab, and Tetteh Tawiah also provided innovative activities. There were youth-led activities such as the Stitch Lab (where students in the costume program at Edward R Murrow High School assisted attendees in making tote bags) Keo’s Cardboard Armor construction in the cafeteria, and student designed demonstrations of electricity generation.
“Curiosity prompts learning and learning sparks curiosity like a magnetic field prompts electrical current, and the electrical current creates a magnetic field. This relationship allows electromagnetic energy to propel itself across light years and through endless space. Education that engages curiosity to develop an appetite for learning will generate answers that contain further questions that motivate further learning, with no need for coercive measures,” says Kate Yourke “Students coming out on a weekend to engage in this level of deep learning demonstrate the vitality that hands-on, integrated curriculum brings to education. Make: STEAM wants to be part of the answer that inspires more questions.”
STEAM Works was supported by Automotive High School and Council Members: Antonio Reynoso and Stephen Levin.
The Greenline 