Saint Mary's School was cooking with STEAM this month as students enjoyed hands-on experiences in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
Women continue to be under-represented in these STEAM fields and as part of Saint Mary's commitment to preparing girls for college and life, the school's annual STEAM Week was designed to give girls dedicated time to explore these fields while applying their critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills, and science and mathematics knowledge in new and exciting ways.
Throughout the week, girls engaged in STEAM-related activities in and out of the classroom, culminating in a STEAM Exploration Day. Saint Mary's Exploration Days offer students expanded learning experiences centered around a specific theme on dedicated Saturdays during the school year. On April 8, 2017, Exploration Day offered a wide range of STEAM experiences from which students could choose. Betabox, a mobile maker space, was on campus offering a toy adaptation workshop engaging girls in disassembling, redesigning, and rebuilding toys to make them accessible to those with physical needs. In the "Emulsions, Experiments, and More" exploration, girls joined the North Carolina State University Science Club to learn more about food science and make some tasty science-inspired creations. Aerodynamic design was the focus of the Pine Box Derby exploration; while students from the Operations Research class guided their peers in an exploration on probability and how it applies to games and other real-world situations. Still other students used their skills of observation and problem-solving to decipher codes like mathematician Alan Turing. A look at engineering through a building experience with Habitat for Humanity, a study of rhythm and its impact on the brain, and a trip to the home of American computer scientist and entrepreneur Dr. John Q. Walker were also among this year's STEAM explorations.
Saint Mary's continues to find ways to expose girls to STEAM fields and experiences beyond STEAM Week. In partnership with CISCO in Raleigh, a coding class is being added to the curriculum for the coming school year; Arduino robotics are being explored by students through independent study and club work resulting in a recent student-organized Arduino Day on campus; and new coursework and Research Triangle partnerships continue to be explored - including a program with HQ Raleigh.