8th Annual STEM Alliance's 'STEM-tastic' Festival 'Builds' Excitement

LARCHMONT, NY — There are plenty of reasons to get excited about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but perhaps none as compelling as this special event held each year on the Sound Shore.

The STEM Alliance hosted their 8th Annual STEM-tastic festival at Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont earlier this month. The free, public event brought the wonders of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to life with dozens of hands-on activities. This year’s festival was declared to be a huge success, welcoming over 1,000 attendees for an evening of exploration and discovery.

The Hommocks gym and hallways were overflowing with STEM experiences and attendees. While there were many popular activities, one particular activity was bustling all night — the mini excavator. Children were able to safely operate a backhoe with Blue Collar Open Book, an organization dedicated to building the next generation of construction engineers.

Organizers say that the festival's success depended on over 145 volunteers and an additional 45+ activity leaders. The intergenerational nature of the event made it a truly unique community experience with STEM professionals and students working together to share their joy for hands-on STEM learning. High school and college students played a significant role in the event, including The STEM Alliance’s Teen Advisory, Westchester Community College STEM students and the Scarsdale High School’s Robotics Team.

"It brings me so much joy to see how engaged children and families are with the incredible STEM activities from our local partners," Margie Wolf, STEM Alliance Senior Manager and Event Coordinator, said.

Post-event surveys showed that 98 percent of attendees would recommend the event to their friends and 100 percent agreed that the activities facilitated hands-on STEM learning.

"What a wonderful experience to see all the kids from the whole area enjoying STEM learning together… kids, teenagers and college students involved too. Inspirational," one parent commented.

"It was amazing! We will make it an annual event. Lasers, drones, old appliances to take apart… I don’t need to take them to Disney World now!" another parent exclaimed.

The full list of experiences can be viewed on The STEM Alliance’s website.

The highlights across the STEM disciplines included:

Science:

• DNA extraction and pH activities with the Regeneron DNA Learning Center staff and volunteers
• University grade microscopes with trained scientists on the BioBus

Technology:

• A Take Apart Zone where families used tools to explore the inner workings of old appliances
• Con Edison’s Pedal-a-Watt bike let attendees generate enough electrical power to light a bulb.

Engineering:

• Verizon’s Data Dynamo game explored how data travels across the internet.
• Spike Prime robotics challenges with The STEM Alliance’s First Lego League Robotics Teams

Math:

• Exploring STEM Through Art with Girl Scout Gold Award Candidate Kaitlyn Thomas
• Binary Bracelets with the Mamaroneck High School Math Department - an annual activity leader

Many of the STEM-tastic experiences added the "A" for art, expanding the event to a STEAM adventure.

Art:

• Attendees unleashed their creativity with pendulum painting by Marla Beth Designs and sewing pillows with Sew Fun for Kids.
• STEM-tastic’s Platinum Sponsor, Veolia, ran chromatography projects while LMC Media taught children how to use tech equipment to run mock newscasts.

The festival also showed the power of STEM to address the issue of climate change. Three organizations, the Jay Heritage Center, the Larchmont Environmental Committee, and the Westchester Land Trust, led environmental experiences, encouraging children to use STEM to save our planet.

The festival was made possible by Platinum Sponsor Veolia North America, Gold Sponsors Dennis & Co. Auto Group and M&T Bank, and Silver Sponsors Catizone Engineering, Regeneron, and Wegner CPAs.

Learn more about The STEM Alliance or find out how to make a donation on their website.

The STEM Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization creating a network of STEM learning opportunities. With STEM jobs (in science, technology, engineering and math) expanding at an accelerated pace, there is high demand for skilled graduates. The STEM Alliance is growing the next generation of STEM leaders by creating a community where all are empowered to embrace STEM as a means of solving problems and fostering innovation.