STEM RTP to host its 4th STEM Fest

Tech Fest! STEM Fests (formerly Expos) brought together students and STEM organizations to explore, engage, and evolve on Friday, November 9, 2018 at The Frontier in Research Triangle Park put on by STEM in the Park. The Fest was broken down into three components. Think: Problem-solving session based on a topic posed by a STEM organization. Groups are 5-7 middle/high school students with 1-5 STEM professionals. Discussion is aided by worksheet that flows through design thinking. Professionals provide guidance and encouragement to students during the session. Short presentation at end of the session to share 1-2 solutions developed by students. Imagine: In this session, STEM professionals engage students by sharing the inner workings of their job through hands-on demos. Meet: STEM professionals engage in multiple short conversations with students to share the real life journey to becoming a STEM professional (formerly called Speed Mentoring) STEM in the Park, a Research Triangle Foundation funded program for students, focusing on underrepresented minorities, girls, and students from low-income backgrounds. STEM in the Park facilitates hands-on mentoring and engagement opportunities with STEM professionals and, for educators, provides half day immersion trips to experience STEM in real-life inside STEM companies around the Triangle region. (©2018 Kevin Seifert Photography | [email protected] | 919-208-9458) The Research Triangle Park is the largest research park in the United States of America. The Research Triangle Foundation (RTF) is tasked to bring continued economic development through innovation and stewardship of the RTP facilities and property while continuing to create an inclusive community welcoming to the Triangle region and all of North Carolina.
Published Author Category STEM Fests, STEM RTP

Research Triangle Foundation’s STEM outreach organization to host local students and organizations

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC—October 29, 2019—STEM RTP,  the STEM education initiative of Research Triangle Foundation, is hosting its fourth STEM Fest: Tech and Engineering Fest.

Introduced in 2018, STEM Fests are an immersive day of STEM experiences designed to expose students who are historically underrepresented in science fields, including those from low-income backgrounds, girls and ethnic minorities, to STEM careers. Students are given the opportunity to meet with employees from the Triangle’s world-class STEM organizations and work with them through activities that encourage students to picture themselves in a STEM career. Activities include speed mentoring with STEM professionals, design thinking challenges, a hands-on activity led by a youth-serving nonprofit, and career exploration.

The theme of the November 8 event is technology and engineering, and includes a session led by Triangle-based companies Code the Dream, Army Research Office, Credit Suisse, Duke Energy, EPA, NetApp, RedHat and Skanska. These companies are taking advantage of STEM RTP’s partnership opportunities to provide their employees with an experience that directly impacts North Carolina students.

Six schools from Wake, Durham and surrounding counties will attend Tech & Engineering Fest, withstudents ranging from 7th to 12th grade. All schools selected for the Fest embody STEM RTP’S mission to bring STEM to racial and ethnic minorities, girls and low-income youth.

“STEM Fests embody what STEM RTP is all about,” says Dr. Sarah Windsor, director of STEM RTP. “This is a day for STEM organizations, teachers and students to meet, explore and create experiences. We hope to encourage our student community to explore how relevant STEM is, tackle STEM challenges and learn what’s needed to become a STEM professional. It opens the doors to STEM and Research Triangle Park!”

About STEM RTP

STEM RTP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that aims to open the world of STEM to local students and educators. Launched in 2014, STEM RTP has impacted over 10,500 students and engaged over 400 partners and 2,630 volunteers for a total of 15,898 hours of service. Through their model of uniting schools, higher education institutions and corporations, they aim to create a community where every child has the chance to explore a career in STEM.

Media Contact for STEM RTP

Anita Kamwendo
kamwendo@rtp.org
919.433.1676