Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Feb. 14, 2014
(DALLAS) — From the science of forensics (and murder) to research on Mars … from rocks and fossils to a high-tech treasure hunt … the Brookhaven College Geotechnology Institute will make science fun during its two-day, interactive STEM science fair for youngsters and adults on Feb. 22-23, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Building H on the college’s campus, located at 3939 Valley View Lane in Farmers Branch.
Participants will find each day filled with interactive experiments, vendors, free popcorn, free parking — and the chance to earn a STEM Patch for children who complete an agenda designed for the event. Many school districts from across the metroplex will attend; some are providing transportation, and some have pre-arranged schedules to follow when they arrive.
The free event features educational fun for learners of all ages. Children can earn STEM patches. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts who attend and wear their uniforms will receive a free gift; they also can earn a patch or a rocker.
Activities will include a geocaching/high-tech treasure hunt; student, parent and teacher sessions; the chance to scale a 45-foot rock-climbing wall; a geospatial activity; and a STEM lecture series for adults (45-minute presentations). Vendors from Lockheed Martin and several area museums and professional societies — the Heard Museum, the Dallas Paleo Society and the Fort Worth Museum of History — will be on hand to sell items, too. Food will be sold by Lenny’s Sub Shop during the two-day event.
The STEM lecture series on Saturday includes: “Experience in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars Program” by DCCCD STEM Institute scholars Cecilia Harris and Joe Florer (2 p.m.); “Fossils Within the Vaca Muerta Formation, Argentina” by Brenda Costello of Brookhaven College and the University of Texas at Dallas (3 p.m.); and “Worldwide Mass Extinctions in the Geologic Past” by Dr. Susan Reinke, Brookhaven College.
Sunday’s lectures are: “Is There Anybody Out There? Mankind’s Search for Life Beyond Earth” by Steven Biles from McKinney Boyd High School and master teacher for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2 p.m.); “An Expedition at the Mars Desert Research Station” by Judah Epstein from Brookhaven College and Schlumberger (3 p.m.); and “Using Forensic Science to Solve a Murder Committed in 1687” by Dr. H. Gill-King from Brookhaven College and the University of North Texas.
Melanie Gamble, director of Brookhaven College’s Geotechnology Institute, explained the purpose of the STEM science fair: “Our mission for the STEM Fair is to awaken the inquisitiveness of children of all ages and members of the community-at-large while making science learning fun. The way we accomplish this is by allowing children to participate in hands-on activities, expanding our audience and involving vendors who will strongly encourage students to embrace technology for careers within the STEM disciplines.”
Volunteers are welcome. Those interested in volunteering should contact Susan Reinke, volunteer coordinator, by email at
sreinke@dcccd.edu or by phone at (972) 860-4713; or assistant volunteer coordinator Venus Bullard at
vbullard@dcccd.edu or (972) 860-4379.
For more information, contact Gamble at either (972) 860-4269 or (972) 860-4630. Her email address is
mgamble@dcccd.edu.
For directions/maps, visit:
www.brookhavencollege.edu/maps/
Event details:
www.brookhavencollege.edu/geotech/outreach.aspx
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