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Header image photo credit: Harmony Cooper, YES Teen
On Saturday, January 14, the Science Center hosted the latest Community STEAM Showcase, welcoming over 4,000 guests of all ages to meet the diverse scientific community right here in St. Louis and discover something new.
Guests had the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities and check out special presentations at Energy Stage led by STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math) role models representing the diversity in STEAM backgrounds and perspectives.
Although it’s been known by a few names, the Community STEAM Showcase has been a mainstay of community-focused programming at the Science Center. For over 20 years the event has welcomed the St. Louis community to discover that the world of STEAM is filled with diversity. Highlighting that diversity helps to show people from communities traditionally underrepresented in STEAM fields that science truly has space for everyone.
This year, 29 organizations attended, spanning the spectrum of science and technology fields, including The Boeing Company, ABNA Engineering, Cardinal Health, St. Louis Community College’s Center for Plant and Life Sciences, STEM STL, Girls Incorporated of St. Louis, the Saint Louis County Department of Health, the Saint Louis Zoo and more.
After participating at last year’s Community STEAM Showcase, the Museum of Black Inventors—a St. Louis pop-up museum—displayed an exhibit illustrating many of the contributions African Americans have made in STEAM.
In nearly every corner of the Oakland Building, guests could find the Science Center’s YES Program inviting them to participate in a range of STEAM-focused activities.
The YES Teens in the Engineering component helped guests code robots and showed off their custom-built remote-controlled go-kart. And on Dino Overlook, the Agriscience YES Teens led guests in a game about plant parts.
The Aerospace YES Teens helped guests create and test helicopters and shared information and activities about space vehicles and celestial objects. In addition to hosting an esports competition, the Cybersecurity YES Teens worked with guests to build computers. Meanwhile, the YES Teens in the Entrepreneurship component sold items from their business projects.
Aside from documenting the day with over 900 photos and videos taken, the Media Arts teens ran a green screen where guests could choose a photo background. Plus, the teens had an artistic photography display where guests could see their work and vote on the best pieces!
The Integrative Medicine and Well-Being YES Teens hosted an area where they showed exercises and how to make them fun with games, as well as demonstrating the muscles used for each exercise.
At Energy Stage, guests could check out special presentations, including a presentation from Tanya Bergantz, the winner of the 2022 Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Prize for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics, as well as a cooking demonstration from the YES Teens in the Agriscience component, who demonstrated a healthy salad recipe they created.
Representing the arts, a number of dance performances from the University City High School Golden Girls Dance Team, Soorya Performing Ars and iKarate Club rounded out the day.
This year’s Community STEAM Showcase at the Science Center welcomed over 4,000 guests for the all-day event. What an impactful way to kick off the new year!
STEAM programming delivered by the YES Teens both at the Science Center and in collaboration with the Science Center’s more than 60+ community partner organizations typically helps connect thousands of St. Louis community members with science and technology education programs each year.
Want to help support the YES Program? Consider making a gift to YES here.
Your Support
Support from donors, Science Center members, and Supporting-level members is instrumental in helping the Science Center continue offering connections to science for everyone in our region. If you’d like to show additional support for our mission, please consider donating to the Science Center’s Annual Fund, becoming a member, or becoming a Supporting-level member.
Your Impact
Want to learn more about how the Science Center and its supporters are making a difference for STEAM learning in the St. Louis region?
