By Megan Shearin
On Saturday, April 14 more than 100 4th and 5th grade students from Norfolk Public Schools will be in the Education Building at Old Dominion University for hands-on experiments and activities taught by professors in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).
The free event, coordinated by the Student Virginia Education Association (SVEA), is the 6th Annual STEAM Day. The goal is to inspire students to pursue a college degree and possibly a career in STEAM fields.
"I am excited for STEAM Day because I get to see students have an interactive learning experience," said senior Morgan Brown, ODU's SVEA vice president and event organizer. "This event allows for students to have fun, meet new people, and learn something new all in a safe environment. I hope that by the end of the day students will walk away with a newfound interested in STEAM and will want to continue to purse that interest."
During the day, students also will take an interactive tour of the campus, receive lunch, and have the chance to receive door prizes from Scholastic and NASA.
"Events like this are important because they allow children to have further experiences with STEAM-related topics, to see the hands-on and real world applications of the subjects, and give them the skills they need to be part of a global, technology-rich, 21st century workforce," said Dr. Kelly Rippard, SVEA faculty adviser and lecturer in the Darden College of Education's Department of Teaching & Learning.
The event is being so-sponsored by the Darden College of Education's Dean's office, MONARCH Teach and Norfolk Public Schools.