San Marcos STEM Fair To Feature Mobile Planetariums
San Marcos STEM Fair to Feature Mobile Planetariums
More than 1,500 attendees are anticipated for the 2nd Annual San Marcos STEM Fair on February 7, 2015 in the San Marcos High School Cafeteria. The event brings interactive exhibits from area students, businesses and educational institutes into the hands of attendees. The Austin Planetarium’s Discovery Dome will create an interactive experience with the Central Texas night sky.
The Discovery Dome is an inflatable dome with a state of the art digital projection system showing educational programming on the ceiling and sides, thereby providing an immersive experience. It is 18 feet in diameter, 25 foot at the base, and 13 feet high—large enough to accommodate about 45 children at a time or 30 adults. The Discovery programs are for all ages and cover many of the TEKS for Earth and Space Science for grades K-8 and for Astronomy and IPC in grades 9-12. Each program is about 20 minutes long. Detailed information is available at www.austinplanetarium.org. Chick-fil-A of San Marcos sponsors the exhibit.
The STEM Fair is hosted by SOAR (Seeking Opportunities, Achieving Results). It is free and open to the public. Children of all ages are encouraged to participate in the interactive displays. The focus is on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
The Discovery Dome is one of many interactive exhibits scheduled for the STEM Fair. Attendees will also interact with mobile science on wheels, the Geekbus, a K-12 high-tech shop class with 3D printers, robotics, and electronic and high definition screens for computer programming. Students will have access to tools and equipment not normally available. The Geekbus is operated by SASTEMIC, a San Antonio non- profit aimed at STEM education.
Central Texas Medical Center’s da Vinci robotic surgical unit, Microsoft and Texas State University STEM programs will also be part of interactive exhibits. Each campus of San Marcos CISD will be represented featuring STEM projects at their schools, including the San Marcos High School robotics class – always a crowd favorite.
About SOAR Initiative
SOAR is a collaboration of the San Marcos Educational Partners including Texas State University, San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District, the San Marcos Education Foundation, the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Hays County, Austin Community College, Gary Job Corp, the City of San Marcos, San Marcos Academy and other concerned entities. SOAR works together to encourage further collaboration among all educational partners in San Marcos. Current SOAR initiatives include efforts to increase school readiness in early childhood, eliminating disparities in the education system by increasing college access and preparedness, and addressing issues in work force development. For more information on how you can become a part of SOAR or participate in the San Marcos STEM Fair, contact the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce at 512.393.5900.
