STEM Explorer Student Conference

Delta College / News / / STEM Explorer Student Conference

May 8, 2017

The STEM Explorer Student Conference was held on Thursday, May 4 on the main campus of Delta College. This conference brought together Great Lakes Bay Region high school students - and their teachers - who participated in STEM experiences with Delta College. Since last fall, Delta has offered “deep dive” instruction programs in its STEM Explorer vehicle.

At the conference, students had the opportunity to:

Share information on their projects
Learn more about STEM careers
Socialize with fellow STEM enthusiasts
Experience a miniature version of a professional conference

The STEM Explorer is a 38-foot mobile science laboratory – and creative space – outfitted with the latest technologies. And, all instruction and activities are offered free of charge to students and their school districts.

Thanks to a $4 million grant from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, Delta College developed this program to reach out to middle and high school students in the Great Lakes Bay Region. A primary goal is to provide information about the vast opportunities available in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), as well as to keep kids engaged and enthusiastic about STEM topics.

“The first year of the STEM Explorer has been a huge success,” said Nathan Elder, Program Coordinator. “The kids have a learned a lot, and we’ve learned some things about how we can make next year’s school visits even better.”

Teachers attended a professional development class last summer to learn how best to integrate this unique program into their curriculum. The “deep dive” program then began in the high schools in early October 2016.

Teachers had access to projects developed with a strong emphasis on engineering, which reinforces new standards that have been integrated into the new Michigan science curriculum. By the end of each project, students design and 3D print prototypes to solve a discipline related problem, aligned with the science standards.

At this conference, “deep dive” students were invited to present their projects and prototypes in a professional conference setting. Students used poster presentations to represent how their prototypes work. They also presented data to back up their claims. More than 200 students attend the event.

“Delta College has had a strong focus on a variety of STEM careers over the decades,” said Delta’s president, Dr. Jean Goodnow. “Delta is known nationally for its innovation, but now we have the chance to highlight that knowledge in our own community to impact the next generation.”

To learn more about the conference speakers and award winners go to STEM Explorer Deep Dive Student Conference.

Find out how to have the STEM Explorer visit your middle or high school.