The St. Brendan High School STEM Academy hosted its second annual STEM Day on Saturday, Apr. 9. Volunteers from the STEM Academy and FIU’s Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society) conducted a workshop for 48 students from local elementary and middle schools.
The workshop began with a STEM overview which included descriptions of the various fields and careers in engineering. Students then participated in three group activities.
The first activity involved creating a building structure using popsicle sticks and marshmallows. The structures were tested to determine if they withheld shaking and weight, mimicking earthquakes and wind. During the second activity students were able to design and build a catapult to see who could launch a penny the farthest. During the final activity, students explored electricity using a circuit board.
To wrap up the workshop, FIU engineering students spoke to the groups about what type of classes they should take in high school to better prepare themselves for a college and career path in STEM.
