Archives News

For immediate release — Feb. 3, 2015

(DALLAS) — Gaze at the stars, learn about aeronautics and robots, cook up some chemistry and dig some old stuff this month at Brookhaven College!

Brookhaven’s spring STEM Fair, scheduled Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21-22, is presented by the Brookhaven College Geotechnology Institute and the college’s mathematics and science division. Festivities will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days in Building H. The theme for this year’s event is “Climate,” and sponsors for the event are Brookhaven College, the BCGI and the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Dallas Section. More than 1,800 people attended the STEM Fair last fall.

“Science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, touch every aspect of our lives,” said Melanie Gamble, director of the institute. “Careers in STEM fields offer excellent salaries, exciting careers (which can be fun!) and a chance to blaze trails for the future.”

The STEM Fair at Brookhaven College offers students, parents, teachers and community members a chance to see how science, technology, engineering and mathematics are part of people’s lives. The fair will offer hands-on activities that demonstrate how to apply STEM areas to everyday life, and students will learn that they can build careers and jobs they will enjoy. Visitors also can see the TAME Trailblazer, a mobile science and engineering exhibit on wheels — new to the fair this year.

The two-day STEM lecture series will include sessions about recycling (garbage tells the story); taking a geographic DNA trek, using the National Geographic Genoproject; generating solar-powered electricity; exploring today’s climate changes and yesterday’s ice ages; and looking for diamonds (and other undiscovered resources).

Some of the hands-on activities on Saturday and Sunday, scheduled in rooms H125 and H126, include: “Which Beak Is Best?” (identifying bird beak structures used for different types of food), “Symmetry Is Everywhere,” “Good Vibrations,” a fossil dig, “Endangered Species,” “Astronomy Belt Loop,” “Make a Crater,” “Girls Making Games,” geocaching, “Ask the Scientist,” “Lion’s Mathemagic,” “Weather vs. Climate: What’s the Difference?” and many others.

Organizations participating in the activities include Raytheon, the Perot Museum, the Dallas Fire Department, the UTD GeoClub, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Dallas Sierra Club, the Dallas Amateur Radio Club, Pleasant Oaks Gem and Mineral Club, the El Centro College STEM Club and more.

The Brookhaven College Geotechnology Institute also will present a professional development course titled “Keep Calm and STEM On!” for K-12 classroom teachers on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. The program is free, but registration is required by Feb. 18. This short course, taught by Deborah Rice, will provide .1 CEU and a certificate from Brookhaven College. Attendees will receive 10 labs for attending plus virtual bonus labs.

The free course, which blends mathematics and science lessons, offers teachers an opportunity to participate in hands-on elementary and middle school classroom lessons using STAAR modified lesson plans. Teachers also will learn how to differentiate the hands-on labs to boost student success. Information will be provided in a “live binder” during each session, which allows a shorter training period and offers assistance to teachers whenever possible. To register, call (972) 860-4715 by Feb. 18.

A variety of dealers, vendors and clubs will be on hand to talk to participants about their organizations and how they are involved in STEM areas, including Stoneham Minerals, the Dallas Paleo Society, Artifacts and Skulls, Fossils and Earth Things, Rocks and Fossils, PM Creations, Lone Star Fossils, Gemeley Designs, the Dallas Amateur Radio Club, Nature’s Gallery, Rockin’ Ladies and Odd/y/seas. Vendors will sell minerals, rocks, fossils, jewelry and other items.

Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in uniform who attend will receive a free gift. Scouts can earn a patch or rocker for their participation in the fair.

The free STEM Fair lectures are offered to students of all ages; lectures will be held in room H104 of Building H.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, sessions are: “Wait! Don’t Throw That Away: A Case Study of the Recycling Habits at Brookhaven College,” presented by Thomas Page, Brian Coen and Yona Chang at 1 p.m.; “Geographic DNA Trek Out of Africa,” by Phil Shelp, Brookhaven College biology department, at 2 p.m.; and “How We Got Solar-Powered Electricity” at 3 p.m. by Chris Guldi from the Dallas Sierra Club.

The Sunday, Feb. 22, lectures will feature: “So You Think It’s Cold Now? A Geologic Perspective of Earth’s Ice Ages” at 2 p.m. by Dr. Susan Reinke from Brookhaven’s geology department; and “If You Want to Find a Diamond in the Rough, I Think I Might Be Able to Help You” at 3 p.m., presented by Dr. Fred Busche, also a faculty member in the college’s geology department.

For more information, contact Melanie Gamble, director of the Brookhaven Geotechnology Institute, by phone at (972) 860-4269 or by email at mgamble@dcccd.edu.