{"id":24675,"date":"2024-04-24T16:48:18","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T16:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=24675&post_type=story"},"modified":"2024-04-26T22:29:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T22:29:57","slug":"sparking-stem-passion","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/sparking-stem-passion\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparking STEM Passion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of people of all ages celebrated science and discovery during the Orlando Science Center\u2019s annual Spark STEM Fest, presented by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½\u2019s Office of Research<\/a>. The three-day event engaged and inspired curious minds about science, technology<\/a>, engineering<\/a> and math (STEM) with dozens of interactive exhibits, hands-on workshops and art displays. It also included exciting demonstrations led by STEM experts and community partners from Disney, NASA, Save the Manatees, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and more.<\/p>\n

Attendees learned about everything from identifying different shark species to the 2024 total solar eclipse to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½\u2019s new semiautonomous robot dog, TapeMeasure. Through engaging sessions and meet and greets with some of the greatest innovators in Central Florida, the event not only aimed to ignite passion for STEM careers and bridge the literacy gap in these fields, but also explore how science is making the world a better place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe in serving our Central Florida community through outreach, and with Spark STEM Fest we\u2019re able to stimulate conversations and promote curiosity in kids who\u2019ll grow up to be our future leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Crystal Maraj, research assistant professor at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½\u2019s Institute for Simulation and Training and presenter at Spark STEM Fest<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n
14<\/dt>\n
Years of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ partnering with the Orlando Science Center to inspire innovation and build community with Spark STEM Fest<\/dd>\n
10+<\/dt>\n
Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½-related exhibitors participated in the event this year, including Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½\u2019s Institute for Simulation and Training, Florida Space Institute and Marine<\/dd>\n
8%<\/dt>\n
Projected growth of jobs in the STEM field by 2029 \u2014 with positions in computing, engineering<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
\"A

A researcher works with a child at an exhibit.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"A

TapeMeasure, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s semiautonomous robot dog.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\"Kids

Attendees explore an exhibit on electricity.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":24838,"template":"","categories":[979],"tags":[1650,1671,30],"class_list":["post-24675","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-focus","tag-crystal-maraj","tag-office-of-research","tag-research","issues-spring-2024"],"yoast_head":"\nSparking STEM Passion: Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Orlando Science Center STEM Fest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½'s Office of Research and Orlando Science Center partner for a showcase that engages children and the community in scientific explore.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/sparking-stem-passion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sparking STEM 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