STEAM Expo Days

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Use magnetic marbles representing protons and neutrons to model a nucleus, then smash it to pieces just like scientists at MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams! FRIB is a world-leading laboratory for creating and studying rare isotopes that don’t exist on Earth. This is your chance to create exotic nuclei and discover more about FRIB research!

Learn more about A Smashing Time with Nuclei at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Every day we turn on our faucets, showers, dishwashers, laundry machines, and countless other water-dependent conveniences without stopping to consider: Where does all that water come from? For the tri-county region of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties, 100% of our water comes from below ground. Through a private well or a public utility, we all rely heavily on groundwater. Stop by and learn all about groundwater as we build the region’s Saginaw Aquifer in a Cup!

Learn more about All About Groundwater: Saginaw's Aquifer in a Cup

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

There is a lot of water in the world but very little of it is safe to drink. Stop by our booth and find out how you can protect Michigan's drinking water as well as water resources immediately around you, in your watershed, in aquatic ecosystems, and beyond! We will have a water trivia game, crafts, and a dazzling groundwater model that shows how the water cycle connects the water above ground that we can see and to the water below ground that we cannot see. We will use dyes to show how pollution moves through the water cycle and offer tips on how you can be a water steward.

Learn more about All Water is Connected and Ours to Protect

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Animals are amazing! From spots to stripes and horns to teeth, animals are equipped with a wonderful array of adaptations to help them survive in the wild. Join Potter Park Zoo as we explore skulls, pelts, antlers, horns, and teeth and learn about some of the fascinating, cool, and sometimes weird physical and behavioral adaptations found in the animal kingdom.

Learn more about Amazing Animal Adaptations

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join us at the Neuroscience Fair! One of our stuffed animals had a little tumble and needs a brain check-up! Visitors will get to pick a stuffed animal and help “scan” the toy’s head using a pretend MRI machine. As they learn how doctors take pictures of the brain to make sure everything is okay, kids get to see images of real brains and talk about how medical tools—though sometimes loud or unfamiliar—can help us feel better and stay safe.

Learn more about Animal Brain Scanner

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Join us at the Neuroscience Fair! Explore our brain zoo and see the wild diversity of brains across the animal kingdom! At this interactive station, participants will examine real and model animal brains, compare structures, and discover how brain anatomy relates to behavior. Try the guessing game: match each brain to its animal and flip the card to check your answer. Along the way, we’ll highlight different brain areas and discuss how evolution has shaped the brain.

Learn more about Animal Brains

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Discover the wonders of life in the water! Develop an understanding of how aquatic habitats are formed, how they sustain life, and why we need to protect these fragile ecosystems. Learn about the plants and animals that call these remarkable habitats home through biofact exploration, live animals displays, and aquatic invertebrate investigations.

Learn more about Aquatic Ecology

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Movement plays an important role in our life—from everyday activities like walking, to activities like sports or dance that require years and years of practice. Do you know how well you move? In this presentation, find out how technology helps us understand how to measure human movement, motor skills, and how we use this knowledge to help people with movement impairments.

Learn more about Are You the Next Olympic Athlete? Learn How to Measure Movement and Motor Skills

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above

Become a chemist for a day! In this hands-on challenge, you’ll mix ingredients using an automated system that runs reactions with electricity instead of heat or flames. Watch the current rise as your reaction speeds up; the higher the current, the higher your score! Try to beat the computer as it learns from your choices and predicts new combinations. This fun, game-style experiment shows how scientists use automation and artificial intelligence to discover faster, cleaner, and smarter ways to make molecules.

Learn more about Automation Arcade: Exploring Chemistry with AI

Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age

Rewild and reconnect with nature with the Beal Botanical Garden! Take a peek into the tiny world of pollinators using our microscopes and discover how pollinators help plants thrive. Then mix and match unexpected plants to create a your own custom tea bag, bringing a dose of nature home with you!

Learn more about Beal: Rewilding and Reconnecting