STEAM Expo Days
Explore over one hundred hands-on activities, talks, and demonstrations at the festival's STEAM Expo Weekend on Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14 from 10am - 4pm at the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility on MSU's campus.
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Bird "Egg"stravaganza
Presented at the following times:
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Room 2202
Sunday, April 14, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Room 2202
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above
Interested in learning more about bird eggs and nesting behaviors of Michigan birds? Bird eggs have their unique shape, size, and coloring depending on the species. Join Michigan Audubon to explore their hands-on bird egg display. Learn about different types of bird nests, and pick up some new vocabulary. Can you match the bird to its egg?
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Birds, Bugs, and Seeds: Food Webs in Action
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Third Floor, West Wing
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age
Would you like to know more about our feathered friends and how you can lend them a hand? The W. K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary has been protecting bird populations since 1928, and we would love for you to join us! Come visit our booth to discover more about the Bird Sanctuary, try eating like a bird, and learn how you can help birds in your own backyard.
Learn more about Birds, Bugs, and Seeds: Food Webs in Action
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Brain Break with MSU Neuroscientists
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Room 2130
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above
Relax with neuroscience-themed coloring and games!
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Build Your Own Brain Hat!
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Room 2130
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above
Join MSU neuroscientists to build a brain hat to take home!
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C. elegans: The Tiny Worm with a Big Impact
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Room 1202
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age
Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), microscopic roundworms, serve as potent model organisms in biological research. Their cost-effectiveness, rapid growth, and transparent nature make them valuable for observing anatomy and development. Despite their small size, at 1 mm long, C. elegans offer vital insights into molecular and cellular processes, gene regulation, and function, sharing multiple organ systems and genes with humans. In this program, students will observe C. elegans' movement in various environmental chemicals and extract DNA from strawberries, illustrating fundamental genetic concepts.
Learn more about C. elegans: The Tiny Worm with a Big Impact
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Cell City: The Diversity of Cellular Life
Presented at the following times:
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facilitiy Second Floor, North Wing
Sunday, April 14, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facilitiy Second Floor, North Wing
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above
You’ve heard that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but what is the cell’s recycling center? Come explore Cell City, where you can learn what jobs each organelle does to keep the cell running smoothly. Afterward, MSU Cell and Molecular Biology graduate students will introduce you to real microscopic plant, animal, and bacterial cells so you can see the world of cells for yourself!
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Chemistry and the Human Senses
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Third Floor, West Wing
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above
This presentation will discuss the chemistry associated with the human senses of vision, smell, and taste. Poster presentations will provide scientific principles behind the human senses while hands-on activities will keep kids of all ages involved and engaged!
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Color a Brain
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Room 2130
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above
Color different structures on plaster brains and take them home with you!
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Creating Winter Magic: Crystalized Icicle Ornaments
Saturday, April 13, 11:00 - 11:30 AM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Workshop Stage
Appropriate for: Kindergarten and Pre-K, Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above
Creating borax crystals is a captivating and visually stunning science experiment that combines art and chemistry in a mesmerizing display of crystal growth. This process allows you to grow your own dazzling, geometric crystal formations using just hot water, Borax, and pipe cleaners.
Learn more about Creating Winter Magic: Crystalized Icicle Ornaments
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Coloring, Creative Math, and Computers
Sunday, April 14, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Third Floor, North Wing
Appropriate for: Elementary school age, Middle school age, High school age, 18 years and above
What started as a puzzle for map makers turned into a famous mathematical problem that went unsolved for over 150 years, until a computer solved it. As participants solve this problem by coloring in a map of the U.S., they will get familiar with a fun and different area of math often not taught in school: graph theory. From sudoku puzzles to GPS navigation, this math powers some of the most exciting computer programs in use today.