STEAM Fest 2018 A Huge Success!

By Kat Lai

Palm Beach State College’s Institute of Excellence in Early Care and Education partnered with the College’s professors, clubs, and students and the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium to create and host its first STEAM Festival on September 22, 2018. The Institute’s STEAM program is funded by PNC Grow Up Great and the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County.

STEAM Fest 2018 drew more than 800 people to the Lake Worth campus of Palm Beach State College. Participants explored STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) concepts through engaging, playful, fun activities.

Children investigated concepts like physics by building ball mazes; gravity and angles by painting on an inclined plane; wavelengths of light by playing with neon goop under a blacklight, and much, much more.

The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium brought more than 30 STEAM activities, like robots, Virtual Reality, and dry ice chemistry experiments.

The professors and students of Palm Beach State’s Science and Math clubs offered children opportunities to hold sheep brains, see plants under a microscope, watch (and hear!) electricity move, and so much more!

The Institute’s director, Dr. Grace Kolbe offered many author-readings of the children’s book, A Turtle’s Tale, which she wrote.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center, PNC Grow Up Great, the Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County, and Opportunity Early Learning and Family Center also provided incredible STEAM activities for children and families.

We are grateful to our sponsors, presenters and many volunteers who came out to make the day such a resounding success! We are looking forward to STEAM Fest 2019. We hope you’ll join us then!