STEAM Expo Days

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

Salt, scientifically identified as sodium chloride (NaCl), holds a crucial presence in our world, influencing oceans, Earth's interior, our food, and our bodies. In winter, the sight of salt-covered roadways is familiar, rooted in science, as salt lowers water's freezing point, transforming ice into liquid. Michigan's history is intertwined with salt, harboring a concealed subterranean realm beneath Detroit—the salt mines, formed approximately 400 million years ago.

Learn more about The Age of Salt in Michigan

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

Polymers are fascinating materials that play a significant role in our daily lives, and it's important for school kids to understand their basics. This introduction to polymers provides a simple and engaging overview for young learners. Polymers are like long chains made of tiny building blocks called monomers, and they are found everywhere, from the plastic in your toys to the rubber on your shoes. Understanding polymers is the first step to appreciating the incredible science that shapes the world around us.

Learn more about The Amazing World of Polymers

Appropriate for: High school age, 18 years and above

Discover the alchemy of turning fresh beans and water into a spectacular cup of coffee and learn all about the journey the bean took to get there. The Strange Matter team will teach you the science of pour-over brewing in order to achieve the perfect cup, as well as the extraction principles and variables of brewing involved in the process.

Learn more about The Art and Science of Coffee

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

Discover the enchantment of bird migration and delve into long-term migration studies with MSBO. Explore exquisite feathers, uncover the art of banding migratory birds by MSU scientists, and marvel at the incredible adaptations observed at our banding stations. Join us to witness the wonders of avian migration!

Learn more about The Magic of Migration

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

Across history, mineral-based pigments have been pivotal in art and cultural practices. Sourced from a myriad of minerals and rocks, these pigments have adorned paintings, frescoes, manuscripts, and various artistic expressions with vibrant hues. Join us in this demo as we collectively explore different mineral species and their role in pigment creation. Together, we'll craft a community mural, delving into the rich artistic heritage of mineral pigments.

Learn more about The Magic of Mineral-Based Paint

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

The Michigan Vaccine Project (MVP) grant is a partnership between Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that aims to leverage MSU Extension's statewide network of county offices and community partnerships to provide people with trusted, evidence-based vaccination information. MVP has implemented a statewide outreach campaign using digital, radio and print materials—as well as in-person and virtual education programming—to inform Michiganders’ vaccination decision-making.

Learn more about The Michigan Vaccine Project

Appropriate for: High school age, Over 21 years only, 18 years and above

New advances in distributed 5G/6G networks have been made possible by improvements in the networking and communication of discrete wireless systems. A distributed antenna array, which consists of several spatially dispersed antenna systems that cooperate to synchronize their signals in time, frequency, and phase to enable coherent operation and mimic a sizable single-platform antenna array, is a promising antenna technology for these applications. We will go over current methods for synchronizing a distributed antenna array and show how well they work with software-defined radio systems.

Learn more about The Next Generation of Wireless Communication

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

Scientists utilize supercomputers to expedite research, solving questions much faster than on personal laptops. Join ICER for a journey through our graphic novel, "The Story of Supercomputing," exploring how a scientist tackles complex questions. Visit our Silicon Petting Zoo booth to explore typically unseen computer parts, with a supercomputing expert ready to answer your questions!

Learn more about The Story of Supercomputing

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

Physics drives technological advancements, creating everyday items like light bulbs and televisions. Join this event for an electrifying exploration of basic and applied (nuclear) physics. Experience particle acceleration with electrostatic wands and witness a nerf gun demonstration showing the use of particles in medical imaging and disease treatment. It's a dynamic journey into the world of physics and its practical applications!

This is an FRIB affiliated event.

Learn more about The Phantastic Voyage

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

Explore the role of social networks in why women and racial minorities graduate from STEM majors at lower rates among college students. If women and underrepresented students of color experience greater exclusion from social networks since they are the minority, they operate at a severe disadvantage in forming study groups for their STEM classes. They are also more likely to miss out on key social information passed between peers, such as informal tips about scheduling classes or effective study strategies. Lower levels of social support and access to social information may discourage interested students from persisting in STEM majors.

Learn more about The Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Identity in the College Experience