San Marcos,
24
February
2016
|
10:25 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Super STEM Saturday Gets Students Excited about Science

By Margaret Chantung

Build and launch a robot, play Frisbee with a robot, or become a DNA detective. These are just a few of the nearly 100 hands-on, interactive activities and demonstrations that will engage thousands of attendees on Saturday, March 12 at the annual science festival Super STEM Saturday. Held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), this rain or shine event is free and open to the public. Children of all ages are invited to attend. Super STEM Saturday closes the ten-day San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering, the largest celebration of innovation and science education in Southern California.

Held in partnership by The Classical Academies and CSUSM, Super STEM Saturday has grown into a popular North County event that draws 6,000 science enthusiasts each year to the university campus.

“We share the value with The Classical Academies that it’s not the job of teachers but it’s everyone’s job to develop that sustained excitement in science that drives our students into career paths in science, technology, engineering and math,” said CSUSM Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics Katherine Kantardjieff.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, employment in STEM jobs is expected to grow to more than 9 million by 2022. An estimated 1.2 million jobs in science, technology, engineering and math will be unfulfilled by 2018.

“What we take away from our childhood is really meaningful to what we decide to do as adults,” said Simon Kuo, vice president of Quality Management at ViaSat. “That’s why we believe it’s really important to expose kids to science and technology so that it can help them better appreciate it and perhaps even choose a career in STEM.”

“Jean-Jacques Rousseau once shared, ‘We should not teach children the sciences; but give them a taste for them,’” said Cameron Curry, executive director for The Classical Academies. “I am so pleased that we provide the community of North County a day and festival focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The culmination of educators, organizations and professionals working together allows us to inspire minds, ignite passions and expose students and our community to what is possible with STEM. This annual event for Cal State San Marcos has become the springboard for many to experience what is possible as they plan their futures and continued education. Our tasting opportunity translates into action by many and this speaks to our success.”

CSUSM and The Classical Academies thank Super STEM Saturday’s Gold-level and community sponsors that are making this event possible, including: ViaSat, Northrop Grumman, Genentech, Supervisor Dave Roberts, Palomar Health, Medtronic, X/3 Management Services, San Diego County District Five Supervisor Bill Horn, the San Diego Business Journal and Nordson.

For more details about Super STEM Saturday, visit www.csusm.edu/superstem.

 

Additional STEM Events

In addition to Super STEM Saturday, CSUSM is partnering with the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering on three other free events that are open to the public, including:

STEM in Your Backyard – Vista

Sunday, March 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Main Street parking lot (next to the Avo Playhouse)

Celebrate science…in your own backyard! This event, held in collaboration with Wavelength Brewing Co., features a mini Expo day and will include hands-on experiments and interactive presentations.

21+ Science Series – A Scientist and a Mathematician Walk into a Bar: Women in STEM

Tuesday, March 8 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Wavelength Brewing Co., Vista

In honor of International Women’s Day 2016, two female CSUSM professors, Drs. Amber Puha and Bianca Mothé, will walk into a bar—Wavelength Brewing Co. in Vista—to present topics related to their research. 

For more information about the professors and the event, visit the event news webpage.

The Mathematics of Voting

Thursday, March 10 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Cal State San Marcos, University Student Union ballroom

When does a majority exist in approval voting? How does the geometry of the political spectrum influence the outcome? And what does mathematics have to say about how people behave? All of these questions and many more will be addressed by Dr. Francis Edward Su, president of the Mathematical Association of America and Benediktsson-Karwa professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, in the second annual Reid Lecture, “Voting in Agreeable Societies.”

For more information, visit the event news webpage or view the event flyer.