Chances are you’ve never seen a science fair like the one hosted by four Lynn schools and four youth organizations Thursday evening.
The STEM fair — that stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics — filled hallways with excited kids and curious adults who were triumphantly successful in proving that there is nothing dull about STEM learning.
Lynn Vocational Technical Institute built miniature bridges and subjected them to weight tests. YMCA kids built and sailed cardboard and duct tape boats.
Knowledge is Power Program charter students showed off toys designed for children with cerebral palsy. Lynn Economic Opportunity students conducted a “fizzy rainbow” science experiment and St. Mary’s High School’s halls became a robot obstacle course and showcase for marshmallow and spaghetti towers.
Thursday’s fair was also a success for the Lynn Education District and its collaborating schools and organizations. Almost all of the District’s members are located in a several block area in the city’s center and fair attendees walked from one location to another, enjoying experiments and demonstrations.
One recurring theme dominated the displays and experiments: Far from being a complicated topic reserved for only the brightest students, STEM is an “approachable” subject offering a million hands-on ways to learn.
In the words of Tech early childhood teacher Jennifer Ciampi, STEM combines science, technology, math and engineering to provide lessons in cause and effect.
Why things work the way they do and the study of how an action triggers a reaction define the essence of learning. For centuries, rote memorization defined the learning process. In the 21st century, technology is ultimately the teacher because it defines our lives in so many ways. It also allows every child to become a scientist conducting experiments; a mathematician solving problems, an engineer building structures and deconstructing them and, above all, a student using technology as a tool to learn how the world works.
Where do morals, ethics and all the questions posed by philosophers across the course of human history come into play in a STEM world? That is a question posed in the last two weeks to one of the world’s biggest STEM success stories: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg who was challenged to define how social media regulates or ignores fake news.
Only when it is coupled with rigorous study of the good, old-fashioned classics, will STEM become an education dynamic forging good students who become good citizens and good people.
