STEM Night at Thirkill

Last week, a number of community organizations came together to present a night of STEM activities to the Soda Springs community.  Among those who participated were Bayer, Caribou County 4-H, PBS Kids, the Soda Springs Fire Department, and local volunteers like Bryan Jorgensen.  The event was organized by Bonnie Speas and Cohlee Winward, community outreach facilitators with the Soda Springs School District.  

Students were able to select which of the sessions they were most interested in and spend an hour with their presenter(s) learning about one of the STEM fields represented.  While there is no doubt that the interactive robotics session generated a lot of excitement, they were all well attended and enthusiastically joined.

Rachel Hamilton, with the University of Idaho Extension Office and Caribou County 4-H program, led the class on robotics.  The teaching materials and construction sets were provided through a grant from UI designed to bring STEM activities into classrooms in Idaho, particularly for third and fourth graders.  “Usually, when I teach in the schools, we work together to build an amusement park.  And one of my favorite things to build is the Ferris Wheel,” Hamilton began, introducing the evening’s project to the packed room.  As the evening wore on, she led groups of kids and parents through the design basics and robotics concepts.

Across the hall, Cheryl Kimber of PBS’ community outreach program presented basic concepts in coding to a group of students eager to learn more about the world of computer programming and game design.

Members of the Soda Springs Fire Department demonstrated some of the equipment used during firefighting to another classroom, and explained some of the scientific basics underwriting how fires work, and therefore how they can be prevented or extinguished.  Chief Dan Squires gave an overview of Personal Protective Equipment, as well as the fire triangle.   

Troy McCurdy, Alan Renfroe, and Brock Sturm from Bayer presented sessions on design issues, as well as drone operation.  Groups were also able to work at small engineer projects connected to the concepts laid out during the presentations.  In both cases, questions came fast and furious as the speakers discussed their experiences with engineering.

Bryan Jorgensen gave a library classroom full of listeners an overview of the principles of aviation science and mechanics, after which groups worked to create their own Styrofoam aircraft and test them out.  

The STEM night was well attended, and a good chance for community members to present their knowledge and resources in a shared space, which has been the mission for Bonnie Speas and Cohlee Winward as the Community Coordinators for the Soda Springs School District.  Their position was created from a United Way grant, and is designed to bring different resources in smaller communities like Soda Springs together in common purpose.  This involves connecting groups with questions to those with answers, and those with needs to those with ways to meet them.

Looking forward, the next big event planned for the group is the February 2 screening and discussion of the documentary “Childhood 2.0,” which explores issues of growing up and raising kids in the digital age.  It will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic,, and will take place at the Idan-ha Theatre in Soda Springs at 6:30 p.m. on Feb 2.