Students attending the upcoming Mineral County STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Festival, will get the opportunity to learn how simple geometry can form never ending patterns, to try maple cotton candy and to produce bubbles of all sizes.
This event will be held Saturday, March 26, from noon to 4 p.m., on the campus of West Virginia University Potomac State College, in Keyser, W.Va. This free event is open to students, K-12, their families and to members of the community.
Potomac State faculty and students will make the following thought-provoking presentations and offer hands-on presentations during the event:
The Science of Sugar – Science can be sweet! Forestry Professor Jeff Jones and David Miller, SAGE (Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurship) Innovation Lab Coordinator, will explain the science behind what it takes to turn sap from the maple tree into sugar. Guests will get to sample maple cotton candy from the College’s maple syrup operations.
The Brown Cow Chow Down! – Strap on your boots and get ready to feed the cows. Watch and learn as Eugene, the mechanical cow, eats bucket after bucket of feed. David Miller, SAGE Innovation Lab Coordinator, will explain the process and how cows turn feed into energy to grow healthy and strong.
Infinity Tiles – Mathematics Professor Richard Petersen, Ph.D., will show how simple geometry can be combined to form extremely complex, never-ending patterns.
Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles – Ruth Upton, Education, Child Development and Family Studies Professor, will demonstrate how to make a solution that will allow participants to blow bubbles of all sizes. She’ll even send some bubbles and a recipe home with guests.
Demonstration of Healthy Lungs and Simulated Smoker’s Lungs – This hands-on activity demonstrates the significant difference between a healthy pig’s lungs and a simulated smoker’s lungs. The simulated smoker’s lungs represent the lungs of a person who has smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for 20 years. Biology Professor Gerald Wilcox, Ph.D., will explain and lead the discussion.
The mission of the STEM Festival is to re-invigorate the interest of our youth in STEM activities and careers by producing and presenting compelling, exciting, educational, and entertaining science gatherings.
The Mineral County STEM Network’s purpose is to increase communication among individuals, business/industry and organizations interested in encouraging our youth to consider the different STEM fields for careers.