“We’re here to inspire”: Hundreds make their way to Rocket City for 4th Annual STEAMfest 202310/28/2023
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — People from all across Alabama made their way to the Rocket City for the 2023 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics Festival.
Also known as STEAM, the 4th annual event is designed with the intent to show adults and the next generation how science and education can be applied to their everyday lives. The Rocket City is no stranger to STEAM, which was on full display at the Von Braun Center on Saturday. Hundreds from the community made their way to the VBC eager to learn something new. The free event included live performances, robotics in action, and a range of interactive stations for guests to enjoy. The Alabama Science Festival is the non-profit that created the event. The organization’s founder Joe Iacuzzo says he wants Alabamians to know they can utilize STEAM to help work through their own experiences. “Our goal is to inspire, to inspire people not just children to look into all the opportunities that STEAM education and STEAM learning can offer them,” Iacuzzo said. Some children like Francy Brown say Saturday offered her a chance to learn how STEAM can be applied to her future career as a veterinarian. “I love science and just like the feeling of being able to learn more than what school has to offer. It’s just really exciting,” Brown told News 19. Each station at the festival had something different to offer and among those were Steve Trash. The eco-entertaining science educator who founded Steve Trash Science says STEAM is a significant contributor to everything around us and can be used in a multitude of ways. “It’s not only STEM it’s STEAM. We have to include the arts in there because arts are about telling good stories,” Trash said. “What we’re doing is we’re learning how to solve the world’s problems using science, technology, engineering, art, and math and here we’re getting inspired to do exactly that”. Between Friday and Saturday, the event yielded thousands from the Tennessee Valley for the two day festival.
Article Source: https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/were-here-to-inspire-hundreds-make-their-way-to-rocket-city-for-4th-annual-steamfest-2023/
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The Meta, formerly known as Facebook, data center in Huntsville is awarding $90,000 in grants to area schools as part of its annual community action grants initiative. Altogether, Meta is donating $217,950 to nine entities in the Huntsville area for 2023. And since announcing plans for the data center in 2018, grants have eclipsed $2.5 million. “The Meta Data Center Community Action Grants program was created to address needs in Madison County by putting the power of technology to use for community benefit, connecting people online or off and improving STEM education,” Meta said in the announcement. Here are the grants and the projects they will help fund:
Source: https://www.al.com/news/2023/03/metas-huntsville-data-center-gives-90000-to-area-schools.html
Alabama Science Festival hosts its third annual 'STEAMfest' to inspire both adults and the next generation.
Author: Sedona Meadows
Published: 12:45 AM CDT October 30, 2022 Updated: 12:46 AM CDT October 30, 2022 HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The world of science is huge and for many kids it's all about finding what intrigues them. The Alabama Science Festival hosted their third annual 'STEAMfest' in Huntsville, sparking curiosity in the next generation. Kathryn McCown and Joe Iacuzzo are the founders and directors of the festival. "If you can think it or dream it, in science, it's probably here today," McCown said. Iacuzzo added, "the whole purpose is to meet people here who can talk to you about how much fun it is and the opportunities, the endless opportunities that a STEM education can give you." They aim to inspire both adults and the next generation through celebration of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics, hence the name 'STEAMfest.' "It's really the community that's supporting us. It's the companies, the people, the volunteers….They have all been fantastic and giving. They all want to be a part of our mission of showcasing what a stem education and stem learning can offer to anybody, not just young people," Iacuzzo said. Marilene van Beek, the event producer for the Alabama Science Festival, said, "there's so many jobs out there as well. And to be introduced to them at a young age, they can guide them through college, which path they want to go and see what they really like and what they're passionate about." Speaking of passions, a local all-girls robotics team, called the 'Nerdettes' are working to get more girls involved in stem. Emily King, a member of the Nerdettes, shared, "we've been competing as an FTC team for about four years now, and just this past year we got to advance to world competition in Houston, Texas, and compete with 160 other teams from around the world." Megan Quinn, another member of the Nerdettes, said, "I feel like robotics has really helped me to just get out there and to see what all parts of STEM there are. So I would have never gotten to experience mechanical, which I probably will be experiencing a lot in my future. But I would have never gotten to experience that without robotics." STEAMfest explores many different types of science such as: marine life, dinosaurs, photography, archeology. And of course, while hosted here in the Rocket City, they can't forget about space. Retiree's of Marshall Space Flight Center join forces with the youth who will eventually lead the way toward new discoveries. "There are people there who built the space shuttle and designed it, and it's just incredible to come in there to talk to you, to share their knowledge, their history. And that's something that should never be lost," Iacuzzo said. Article Source
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