Submitted by The City of Lacey
Have you ever wanted to see a 3D printer in action? How about try a flight simulator or see what the military is currently doing with robots? Maybe you have a secret desire to build a rocket and discover how math predicts its flight? Or possibly you want to learn to harness the sun’s power to make something fun.
Then you won’t want to miss this year’s Lacey S.T.E.M. Fair Saturday, May 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Huntamer Park in Lacey. The free, award winning, event will showcase school clubs, hobbyists, and businesses from all over Thurston County and beyond sharing all kinds of STEM related projects, demonstrations and activities that will captivate all ages.
S.T.E.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, all of which are vital fields that shape our future. The S.T.E.M. Fair is a great way for students and the community to learn more about how S.T.E.M. subjects are used in real world applications in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Lacey S.T.E.M. Fair won the 2015 Washington Recreation and Parks Association Program Excellence Spotlight Award for Innovative Programming and the 2016 Washington Festivals and Events Pacific NW Summit Silver Award for Innovative Programming.
Highlights from this year’s event will include the robotics demonstrations presented by students who designed and built the machines, an airplane build by middle school students, make-and-take mini robots, a solar powered ducky dash, drones, military robots, interactive LEGO activities, and more. There will be a demonstration by Subzero Ice Cream using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream on the main stage at 1:00 p.m.
Kids can pick up a Discovery Quest Game at the information booth and participate to learn more about S.T.E.M while competing for a chance to win great prizes. There will lots of fun, hands on activities for the kids as well as food vendors on site, so plan to spend the day.
What’s missing from this year’s event after 18 years, is the Lacey Grand Prix Electric Car Rally but taking its place is a new addition, the Cool Ride Car Show, presented by and supporting the students of North Thurston Public Schools. Alongside the car show, students will be demonstrating what they are learning that is car related including repair, maintenance, and diagnostic programs. “The Lacey Grand Prix Electric Car Rally was the anchor piece of STEM Fair and the event it grew out of, the Alternative Energy/Fuel Fair,” says Jeannette Sieler, Recreation Supervisor with the City of Lacey.
“The Electric car rally was a fun thing to watch, but eventually the draw of electric cars and alternative fuel/energy became less ‘cutting edge’ and STEM became more of an interest, causing the spring time event to shift gears. We only had 1 local team participating in the rally, River Ridge High School. Many of those students have now refocused on STEM as well as automotive skills, which led to a natural inclusion of their Car Show, which is also a fund raiser for the students as well as a nice addition to round out this whole event,” continues Sieler.
Lacey S.T.E.M. Fair is presented by Lacey Parks & Recreation and River Ridge High School clubs and sponsored by UW Medicine, Interstate Batteries, Molina Health Care, Coordinated Care, Acme Fuel, South Sound Solar and Costco.
Why S.T.E.M.? The Washington State S.T.E.M. Organization website states “S.T.E.M isn’t just for scientists and engineers. Washington’s economy is rooted in S.T.E.M. It’s simple: in the 21st century, STEM opens doors for every student to succeed.” For more information about this event, visit the city’s website at www.ci.lacey.wa.us/events or call the Lacey Parks and Recreation Department at (360) 491-0857.
