Students in sixth through eighth grade learned about various STEM-related topics in a series of hand-on workshops at the Second Annual STEMtastic Day at Penn State Lehigh Valley.
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Future scientists, researchers and forensic investigators explored various areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at Penn State Lehigh Valley’s second annual STEM-tastic Day on March 1. The purpose of the event was to introduce students in grades sixth through eighth to a wide range of STEM-related topics through interactive, hands-on workshops.
Approximately 90 students from nearly a dozen Lehigh Valley schools participated. Workshops were facilitated by Penn State faculty and, for the first time, local employers. Broadcom hosted a workshop on electronic circuit design and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation hosted a workshop on design for disability.
Some of the programs were topics from the first event last year with some new elements. “We knew we’d have a lot of repeat students, so we wanted to offer something different,” said Samantha Beebe, Penn State Lehigh Valley biobehavioral health program coordinator and associate teaching professor, who co-organized the event. “There were very few that didn’t have a new component. Some of our sponsors hosted workshops, and that went well. It was really nice to have some external input.”
The sponsors’ participation reinforced the purpose of the event and showed students and their families how prevalent STEM careers are in the Lehigh Valley.
“We were bringing together community members — professionals in the Lehigh Valley — with families in the Lehigh Valley, so I think we’re closing the circle,” Beebe said. “We brought all these families together last year, and now we’re bringing in the professionals to be part of this community. It shows the close connection we have with companies in the Lehigh Valley to the family members of our students. We have that connection through internships, guest speakers and other activities. It was nice for our families to see that — how the support goes both ways.”
The company representatives were excited to teach the students — their future workforce — more about the many areas of STEM and how they relate to their business.
“I spoke with Doug Dopp from Broadcom [a technology leader that designs, develops and supplies a broad range of semiconductor, enterprise software and security solutions], and he told me he really enjoyed the experience, working with the students and the setup,” Beebe said. “They’re looking forward to doing it next year. We had very positive feedback from the sponsor/facilitators.”
Students chose their top three out of nine workshops:
- Paleo Investigators: Decoding Ancient Bones and Crafting Field Jackets
- Pendulum Painting
- Center of Gravity Experiments
- Robot Maze Craze
- Lego Mindstorm Activity
- Design for Disability
- Electronic Circuit Design
- Whodunnit? CSI Investigation: The Role of DNA in Forensics
- Engineering Design Challenge
Mark Capofari, lecturer, project and supply chain management and event co-organizer, said the students’ energy was obvious, although working with younger students was a bit different from working with college students. They share the same excitement for learning, but the middle school students show it differently.
“The enthusiasm is identical. Both the middle school students and college students are eager to learn and participate in something they were not aware of,” he said.
Whereas college students take a deeper dive into course material to understand how it all works, the middle school students “just think this stuff is cool,” Capofari said. “It’s so gratifying to see them learn right in front of you.”
In addition to faculty and staff volunteers, approximately 30 Penn State students assisted throughout the day.
“[The students] acted as mentors for the workshops and worked one-on-one with the middle school students. It was an excellent experience for them,” said Larry Musolino, assistant teaching professor of mathematics and one of the event co-organizers. “We owe a debt of gratitude to our students, and to the faculty and staff who had to spend time preparing these workshops and coming in on a Saturday morning for this activity.”
STEM-tastic Day was also the first visit to a college campus for many of the middle schoolers. It was an all-around positive event for the students, workshop facilitators and parents, according to Capofari.
“The parents were so enthusiastic and very thankful their children had this opportunity,” Capofari said. “Parents were coming up to me and saying how thankful they were. That’s really rewarding when the parents thank you.”
Musolino said more STEM graduates are needed.
“Five years from now, the number of STEM-related jobs out there, and the number of graduates in STEM-related fields won’t coincide. We want to promote STEM careers,” Musolino said. “We’re hoping to spark this interest in STEM with hands-on activities where students can do coding, experiment with biology, chemistry and physics, and get them excited about science, technology, engineering and math. Hopefully they will continue with it and consider a STEM major in college.”
The event was sponsored by Penn State Lehigh Valley, Broadcom, Lehigh Valley Engineering Council, Spillman Farmer Architects, Barry Issett and Associates, USA Cold Storage, Julabo USA, PPL, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and St. Luke’s University Health Network.
Parents are already asking about plans for the 2026 event. STEM-tastic Day 2026 is set for Feb. 7, with a snow date of Feb. 14. Beebe said the organizers are looking to increase the sponsor-led workshops and offer new learning opportunities for the students.
“I think that’s a sign of success — we have the sponsor facilitators and a whole new group of sponsors who want to be on board. It shows that these professionals, and we are all, invested in STEM in the Lehigh Valley,” Beebe said.
