Housatonic Community College’s STEAMfest Goes Virtual

From the Housatonic Campus News:

November 5, 2o2o

In connection with National STEM/STEAM Day on Sunday, November 8th, Housatonic Community College (HCC) will present an engaging, online program to celebrate advances in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. The college’s 4th annual ‘STEAMfest’ event is going virtual this year, with something exciting planned for every day of the week.

Through a line-up of inspiring videos, ‘HCC Virtual STEAMfest 2020’ programming will spark student interest in STEAM fields and create connections to STEAM-related careers. Each weekday, different videos will be featured on the webpage https://www.housatonic.edu/steamfest2020 with an opportunity to win prizes. Each virtual experience is ADA compliant and welcoming to all.

Monday: Hear HCC Alumna Kristen S. share her experiences in HCC's Computer Information System Program and how she uses her degrees from HCC and Wesleyan University to research patterns in molecules using Computational Biology. View a 3-D image of the discovery that her team made, which was published in "Biomolecules" journal.

Tuesday: Watch “Beyond HCC: STEAM Students Stay Close, Go Far” and listen to HCC alumni who have gone on to further their education at four-year universities where they are currently pursuing degrees in STEAM fields.

Wednesday: Listen to HCC student Karen G's inspiring story of moving from Guatemala, learning English and her success as an HCC student. She credits her progress to hard work and regular support from staff at HCC's STEAM Center of Excellence.

Thursday: Watch “STEAM DREAM jobs,” a showcase of four exciting STEAM careers. The journey for each occupation can begin with an education at HCC and build towards a fulfilling, lifelong professional career in STEAM. Presented by HCC Professor Janet Yarrow MS, RDN.

Friday: Enjoy the intersection of art and technology with a series of fascinating stop-motion films. Enjoy the award-winning film ‘Lost & Found’ about a crochet dinosaur, ‘Two Balloons,’ a story about the voyage of two dirigibles, and several behind-the-scenes films about the making of stop-motion animation movies. The films will go on view at 7pm, visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org for the film link.

The HCC Virtual STEAMfest 2020 series is presented with significant funding from Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company and Pitney Bowes. The two organizations are long-time champion supporters for students in STEAM at Housatonic Community College, and have helped to make HCC's STEAM Center of Excellence possible.

“The Coronavirus pandemic provided an opportunity to reimagine STEAMfest in an online presentation so that this impactful program can continue to educate students and our community. Through engaging virtual programming, a broader understanding of the career possibilities in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math and the opportunities available at HCC will develop,” said HCC Academic Dean Robin Avant. “We are grateful to Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company and Pitney Bowes for their generous support in making this inspiring event possible, and for their unwavering support of STEAM efforts at HCC.”

In addition to providing robust offerings in the field of STEAM, HCC is also a co-leader for the Greater Bridgeport STEM ecosystem. This strong system features dynamic collaborations among schools, out-of-school programs, STEM expert institutions, the private sector, and community-based organizations to provide opportunities for young people to develop important skills and engagement in STEM subjects.

In April 2021, stay tuned for HCC’s spring STEAMfest event. In celebration of Earth Day, the focus of that programming will be sustainability and energy, as well as optical illusion.

This press release was produced by the Housatonic Community College News. The views expressed are the author's own.