ALLPORT — The West Branch Area School District held its annual STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Night at the high school on Wednesday evening.
The event provides hands-on activities for students in pre-K through 12th grade, according to organizer Carrie Peterson, instructional coach/high school history teacher in the West Branch Area School District.
“Our goal is to promote science and arts in the community,” Peterson said.
This is the third year for STEAM Night, and Peterson said she got the idea for STEAM Night from the Bellefonte Area School District.
She said her friends in the Bellefonte Area School District helped her connect with area organizations in Clearfield and Centre counties so West Branch could have its own STEAM Night.
“We wanted our students to have the same opportunities and experiences that students have in other school districts,” Peterson said.
For the event, businesses and organizations throughout the region — as well as organizations within the school district — set up booths in the high school’s gymnasiums to teach students about science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
She said Penn State University was a big contributor to the event and had multiple departments with booths, such as the PSU Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization’s “Vacuums and Nanotechnology,” PSU Radiation Science & Engineering Center’s “Going Critical, Can You Start Up a Nuclear Reactor,” PSU Chemistry Graduate Student Association’s “Chemistry Wonderland: Color Changing Potions, Magic Flowers and Crystal Snowflakes,” PSU Engineering Ambassadors “RoboRun: The Robot Obstacle Challenge,” and PSU Center for Performing Arts’ “Art in Motion.”
Other organizations included Clearfield County Career and Technology Center’s IT students who had a booth on using computers, Woodward Cave’s “Hibernating Bats,” The Sczcesny Lab had a demonstration on the surgical repair of tendons, and Central Intermediate Unit 10 provided the Broomx Planetarium. Other booths included the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania/Lock Haven Clearfield’s “Hydrogen Rocket Launch,” the Sierra Club Moshannon Group’s “The Lifecycle Lab: Plastic vs. Canvas,” and Quandel Energy Solutions’ “Snap Circuits and Coding Mouse.”
West Branch chief science officers also had several booths — including “Launch Lab: Build Your Own Catapult,” “Soaring Science: The Aerodynamics of Flight,” and “Building a Better World with Recycled Materials.” Other school organizations had booths as well, such as the West Branch High School Art Club’s “The Geometry of Color.”
Other organizations that had booths included Kurtz Bros., the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the state Fish and Boat Commission, CNB Bank, WPSU, Lincoln Caverns, Launchbox of PSU DuBois, Society of Women Engineers, Clearfield County Conservation District, CenClear Child Services, Discover Champions, and the Clearwater Conservancy.
In total, there were approximately 55 booths at the event — including an esports room.
The event was free of charge and included a free dinner. All students who attend the event also received a free STEAM-related book, Peterson said.
Although most of the students attending were West Branch students, it was open to all students throughout the area. She said it is paid for with a grant from the West Branch Community Education Foundation, as well as funds from the school district itself.
Peterson said there were approximately 350 participants and counting community partners, it is estimated that more than 400 people participated in the event.
She said the feedback from participating organizations and from the students and families who attended has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Overall, STEAM night was a tremendous success,” Peterson said.