2019 Maryland STEM Festival Launches Events & Fun 10/11-11/10

The Fifth Annual Maryland STEM Festival launces on Friday, October 11th and runs until Sunday, November 10th. This year’s theme is Space and Flight in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11th Lunar Landing.

The Maryland STEM promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to engage participants with knowledge and fun about future career opportunities. According to Phil Rogofsky, Executive Director, Maryland STEM Festival, “our mission is to courage all students, regardless of age, background and experience, to take a greater interest in STEM with the hope that they will pursue a STEM related/focused career.” Maryland is one the few states in the nation to have a statewide STEM or Science Festival. Last year, over 35,000 Marylanders visited the festival’s events. In 2019, there will be nearly 700 events for families to participate in across the state. Most of the events are open to the public and are free of charge, and of course, fun.

New this year, in partnership with Bowie State University, (https://www.bowiestate.edu) is the Maryland STEM Festival Parade happening on Saturday, October 19th. The celebration includes visits from NBC4’s Storm Team4 Meteorologist Amelia Draper (https://www.nbcwashington.com/weather/bios/) as one of its Grand Marshalls. There will be floats and marching bands offering STEMulating experiences for spectators. The US Coast Guard is bringing a boat and the US Air Force is bringing an ambulance.

To cultivate the agricultural connections to STEM, there will be two screenings of “Conservation Kids” A Green STEM Documentary (https://conservationkids.us) made available. During and beyond the Maryland STEM Festival, you can experience ways to “learn to plan, plant, and grow your garden” online for free with the video game Agronomics at https://marylandstemfestival.org/games/agrownomics/

Then on Saturday, November 9th, the Blue Collar STEM Conference will take place with a focus on helping teachers, students and parents learn new information about STEM careers not requiring traditional degrees.

For more information about the programs schedules and signature events, visit http://marylandstemfestival.org/ and you can listen to its podcasts on iTunes at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fun-with-the-maryland-stem-festival/id1396558749