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July 20 STEMfest Event Will Engage Attendees with Hands-On STEM Activities
07/15/2024
STEMfest 2024 Graphic. Free event for the whole family! STEMfest where water flows inspiration grows. July 20, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Mayborn MuseumWHO & WHAT: Education Service Center Region 12 will host its fourth annual free STEMfest event aimed at increasing STEM interest and capacity in the community. 

WHEN: Saturday, July 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Mayborn Museum Complex, 1300 S University Parks Drive, Waco, TX 76706

WACO, TX – Education Service Center Region 12 is excited to invite the community to the fourth annual STEMfest event on Saturday, July 20. Hosted in partnership with the Mayborn Museum and Carollo Engineers, this free event aims to expand awareness and interest in STEM through interactive and engaging activities and demonstrations.

“STEMfest is a chance to expand education and increase curiosity for this quickly growing field,” said Andi Parr, a continuous improvement specialist at ESC Region 12. “It’s an opportunity to help students make connections and discover entry paths in STEM.”

One goal of STEMfest is to shift the meaning of STEM to solve, think, experience and make. By shifting the acronym's meaning from the traditional science, technology, engineering and math to more recognizable, action-oriented words, ESC Region 12 hopes to make the field less intimidating and more accessible to the community. 

“When you ask people what STEM is, often you will get the response of the acronym,” Parr said. “There’s a thought that it is just those four distinct fields, but true STEM crosses beyond those subjects. It’s broad and includes any content where you solve, think, experience or make.”

The theme for STEMfest 2024 is, ‘Where water flows, inspiration grows.” ESC Region 12 and partner Carollo Engineers, an environmental engineering firm, hope to showcase the power of water and the role it plays in our everyday lives. Activities and demonstrations will dive into topics including weather, sea creatures, the water cycle, math, coding and more. Whether it’s inspecting fossil replicas with the National Parks Service or learning about the use of water in soda with the Dr. Pepper Museum, there will be something for everyone at STEMfest.

Other entities involved include Baylor University, Carter BloodCare, City of Waco, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, KWTX, L3 Harris Technologies, Mathnasium of Waco, McLennan Community College, OctoNation, Temple ISD, Texas A&M Forest Service and Waco Friends of the Climate. STEMfest will also host various food trucks, a photo booth and the Skate Waco skate truck.