Super STEAM Saturdays offering middle schoolers the chance to explore and learn about science, technology, engineering, arts and math are back at Washtenaw Community College.
The new season of free, hands-on activities led by WCC faculty and other experts from their career fields kicks off October 5.
Super STEAM Saturdays occur monthly and are designed with middle schoolers in mind, although younger and older students are welcome.
The October 5 activity from 1-2 p.m. offers a dive into chemistry. WCC instructors Drs. Tracy Schwab and Eric Schwab will lead students through building molecular models of everyday chemicals and equipment and solving mysteries and crimes such as coin counterfeiting.
In the November 9 session, students will meet through Zoom with WCC English Department faculty Tom Zimmerman, Maryam Barrie and Ernesto Querijero to discuss the complexity and beauty of poetry written about science. This exploration is meant to engage student intellect imaginatively. The Zoom link will be sent after registration.
The December 7 Super STEAM Saturday is an on-campus workshop during which 15 participants will take home a LINGO kit (valued at $80). LINGO is a self-paced, project-based coding kit with fun and engaging online video tutorials that feature easy-to-follow instructions. WCC STEM Scholar Ahjanae Harris and the STEMBoard team will oversee students’ efforts to assemble and program a car’s back-up sensor with this software.
On January 25, WCC Biology instructor Dr. Emily Thompson will lead a Zoom session called “The Genetics of Fancy Birds and Bird Fanciers” that explores genetic traits of chickens, love birds and humans. Participants should have paper and drawing supplies ready for the art portion of this activity.
On February 1, “Coloring Our Universe” examines how electromagnetic spectrums are applied to deep space telescope images to add color to their black and white originals.
Finally, the April 26 session, “Walk Through the WCC Nature Trail,” is designed to enhance hikers’ sensory appreciation of the nature that surrounds them.
If You Go
What: Super STEAM Saturdays
When: Monthly throughout the academic year
Who: Middle school students and younger
Where: On the WCC campus and via Zoom
Register: https://www.wccnet.edu/announcements/super-steam-saturdays.php
Tags: Middle School, Online Learning, STEAM, Super STEAM Saturdays