Real World STEM at Skills21 ExpoFest
On June 1st, I attended ExpoFest, an innovation and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) competition held at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford and sponsored by Skills21, a center of innovation within EdAdvance, the Connecticut Regional Education Service Center in northwest Connecticut. ExpoFest involves several different challenges and had about 70 teams competing from various schools across Connecticut. I was there because I had helped write the Advanced Manufacturing Challenge. It required teams to design and build a human powered water filtration pump that could pump about one gallon per minute from 10 feet away and up a 5-foot vertical rise – these criteria were based on a scenario where it would be hazardous to be right next to a water source due to wildlife (e.g., crocodiles) or fast flowing flood waters. What I saw was eight different high school teams with eight different ideas, all of which had been developed over the past school year. I was impressed by the breadth of innovation that the students showed.
All eight teams had to demonstrate their pump’s capabilities outside by pumping dirty water from a container five feet below their pump and by filtering it into another container. The goal was to pump five gallons in five minutes. Some teams succeeded, and some did not, but all of the students had a great attitude and did an outstanding job working to solve problems that came up. I spent a lot of time talking with the teachers and students on each team, and the unanimous consensus was that the challenge had been an amazing experience that pushed them to their limits while also enabling them to use all of their skills and teamwork to finish the required tasks. I look forward to more such challenges in the future. Here are photos of each team’s pump and the test outside:
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