Hundreds of budding engineers and scientists explore robotics, virtual reality, physics, and more thanks to a partnership between the College and alumnus Calvin Mackie.
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In one corner of McCamish Pavilion, kids sat in a simulator flying a plane. Across the floor, you could feel a cool breeze as another group learned how wind can generate electricity. Under a large inflatable dome in the middle, students and parents learned about stars and planets in a mini planetarium.
But it was small machines buzzing nearby that had caught 10-year-old Elisabeth Jackson’s eye.
“I’m definitely excited about the drones,” said Jackson, who was waiting in line with her parents for her first attempt at flying one. She was also interested in the tables where she could build and operate electrical circuits: “I like putting things together and then making them work, making them do things.”
Jackson was one of nearly 1,000 K-12 students who filled Georgia Tech’s basketball arena for the College of Engineering’s second STEM Fest Sept. 27. The day of discovery featured more than 60 interactive stations, exhibits, and activities designed to teach students about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts.
Hamadi Reid brought his sixth-grader Marley, who said she didn’t know what to expect when she arrived but immediately spotted the Starlab planetarium.
“We like science. We like creating stuff. But I've never been to anything like this before,” Hamadi Reid said. “I wish when I was her age, I could have done something like this.”
A young student rides on a cushion of air at STEM Fest.
STEM Fest is a partnership between the College and STEM Global Action (SGA). The New Orleans-based organization is led by Calvin Mackie, a three-time graduate of Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. Since 2013, Mackie and his team have organized STEM learning events for more than 250,000 students around the nation. This is the second year for the free Saturday morning event.
“Year one was absolutely amazing; it caught us by surprise so many people showed up. This year is even better, because now we know what to expect and what to plan for,” Mackie said. “But this absolutely shows that there’s a thirst in the community for this type of engagement.”
New this year on the arena floor: robotic arms, a 7-foot-tall virtual anatomy station, and an exhibit where kids could teach an artificial intelligence model to learn how AI is trained.
“Sparking curiosity in engineering must begin early. Through STEM Fest and our collaboration with STEM Global Action, we’re opening doors for Atlanta’s youth to see themselves as future innovators,” said Damon Williams, the College’s associate dean for outreach and engagement. “Our dean and all of us in the College are committed to inspiring every child to imagine, explore, and embrace the possibilities of engineering.”
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If you ask a kid, ‘Do you want to learn about Newton’s laws or build a car and race it?’ they want to build a car and race it. So that’s what we do. But they learn about Newton laws also. We communicate with them in a way that they enjoy and want more of it. That’s why hands-on is so important.
CALVIN MACKIE
STEM Global Action Founder & CEO
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Aneesh Ganu explores a giant-sized Newton’s cradle.
Aneesh Ganu, 8, was back at STEM Fest for the second year.
“Last year I came and it was really fun. I got to touch a human brain, and I really liked it; that’s why we came back,” said the third grader from Alpharetta. This time, he was anxious to try flying the drones. His dad, Nikhil, liked that a number of the tables included topics Aneesh is starting to learn about in school.
“He’s learning the concept of electricity and wind energy in school, and you can actually see how it works at very basic scale,” Nikhil said. “He’s really interested in all of that.”
SGA brought all the materials and exhibits from New Orleans. Students from Georgia Tech, Spelman, Morehouse, and other Atlanta universities staffed each table along with professionals from area companies.
“When the kids come and I look in their eyes, I still get excited,” Mackie said. “I love what I do, but more importantly, I love who I do it for. As long as these families and kids are happy and excited, that keeps us going.”
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