((PKG)) STEAMOLOGY
((TRT: 06:27))
((Topic Banner: STEAMOLOGY))
((Producer/Camera/Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Alexandria, Virginia))
((Main characters: 3 female; 2 male))
((Sub characters: 3 female; 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Shikha Dixit
Founder, STEAMOLOGY))
We have packed everything and we are headed to Walt Whitman Middle School for the STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] Fest.
((NATS))
((Akul Dixit
STEM Director, STEAMOLOGY))
STEM Fest was my idea a couple of years ago, where we went to a Title 1 [support for low income students] Elementary School to inspire these students and bring new opportunities and resources in the science and engineering fields that they hadn’t seen before and that other students usually have access to but they don’t.
((Shikha Dixit
Founder, STEAMOLOGY))
We have already registered 170 students thus far, and we are expecting to reach 400 elementary student kids and approximately 200 to 300 middle schoolers coming in.
((NATS))
((Shikha Dixit
Founder, STEAMOLOGY))
STEM Fest started in 2018 and due to COVID, we could not continue it for two years. STEM is like Science, Technology, and then Engineering and Math. And now, we have also incorporated A in it, which is STEAM. So it's like, it's Arts incorporated, like 3D printing and how to, you know, design visual basics and all that stuff.
((Simone Shah
Volunteer, STEAMOLOGY))
My station is about the lava lamps. Here is one, for example. We use oil and water, Alka-Seltzer, and then we add in our food dye to make it more colorful and exciting. And the most exciting part is when we add the Alka-Seltzer. We're going to see the blue water bubbles rise up into the oil. This is just showing them the reaction that can be made from oils and waters and Alka-Seltzer, like what Alka-Seltzer contains in it to make this reaction. And it's just showing them like different liquids and their density.
((NATS/SOT))
Like this?
Yeah. There you go. You got it.
So, fold it like this.
Can I try and fly it?
Of course.
((Abigail
4th grader))
I’ve never been to one of these before. So, I’m just excited to learn new things and do experiments. My favorite part would be the lava lamp so far because I’ve never had a lava lamp before and it’s really interesting.
((Shikha Dixit
Founder, STEAMOLOGY))
So, my younger son, Akul, he wanted to understand if we can take it out to the community and not have kids come to these STEM Fests because not every kid is privileged enough to travel that far or to spend that kind of ticket to go to a STEM Fest. So, we said, “Okay, let's see if we can do it with friends, with volunteers, collaborations, with partnerships.” So, we reached out to Fairfax County partnership. It’s called IGNITE partnership. We went through the process and we got our partnership approved in August, 2022.
((Shikha Dixit
Founder, STEAMOLOGY))
So, the idea is to empower these students. Let them take the lead and engage them early on. So, igniting the passion of STEM and not the fear. So the age range for these students, it is geared towards K [kindergarten] through eight [8th grade], which is kindergarten through middle schoolers. And it is usually run by high schoolers. And then we have parent volunteers and then we have mad scientists here. They are performing experiments with balloons and all the fun stuff.
((NATS))
Sophia’s your sister?
Clap for Sophia’s sister.
So, it's only red and blue but we're going get green, okay.
Yeah. So, it's going to become green. Okay? Okay, what's happening over here? Do you see some raisins dancing?
((Rajani Ranga, PharmD
Volunteer, STEAMOLOGY
Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacist))
When I was younger, I thought like chemicals are like unsafe, and, you know, those kind of things.
This has like carbonated water, right? Aerated water, like soda. But you can realize that you can just use, you know, your ordinary house vinegar and you can use some sodium bicarbonate, which is just, you know, soda. And you can just have a little experiment with household items and it's really good for kids to know that, you know, you can do it at home. You don't need to be in a science lab to do it. And it really gets them excited and motivated to learn instead of just, you know, reading books all day and kind of doing homework.
((NATS/SOT))
Have you ever mixed like honey and water, or like corn syrup and water?
I have.
What happens when you mix them?
((Rajani Ranga, PharmD
Volunteer, STEAMOLOGY
Solid Organ Transplant Pharmacist))
It's a really good environment to kind of learn these things and understand the chemistry behind it.
((Emma Mong
Student))
The potatoes are actually like a natural battery. Like the potatoes give off this like energy charge, which can actually power clocks, lights and all that.
((NATS))
((Pranav Elavarthi
Volunteer, STEAMOLOGY
TJ Rocketry Club))
We’re from the T.J. [Thomas Jefferson] Rocketry Club. And so, we're here teaching kids about the basics of rocketry flight and like engineering. So, we're covering…our club participates in three competitions and we're just explaining what we do in the American Rocketry Challenge, NASA's Student Launch Initiative, and the Battle of the Rockets.
((NATS/SOT))
Checking all our parts, right?
((Aaron Connley
Volunteer, STEAMOLOGY
Minority Tech Foundation))
My name is Aaron Connley and I am partner and program director with Minority Tech Foundation. Every time we participate in one of these things, we’re just really, really amazed. So today, part of our program was the students got an opportunity to build drones. So, they were actually able to install rotors, install propellers, but what we're seeing here is at a very young age, these concepts are absorbed by our youth.
((NATS))
((Lillian Deoliveira
Mother of 9-year-old twins))
They can help them stimulate the brain and helping supporting the school as well because they can ask them a question. They can be building more and maybe one day they become big scientist.
((NATS))
((Shikha Dixit
Founder, STEAMOLOGY))
They're building DNA bracelets, so they know how the gene pool works. If your dad is like this and your mom is like this, then what happens, you know? So, they are doing 3D printing, hypotheses and they are playing with static electricity. What is static electricity?
((NATS))
((George Mong
Father of 4th grader, Emma))
Starting 4th grade, she's asking a lot of questions, and I think, you know, that's why we brought her out here so she can check out all these other activities, you know, so that she can learn more.
((Quel Williams
Volunteer, STEAMOLOGY))
The earlier you can reach kids, the better. There are some parts of Fairfax County that are able to provide like an economic advantage, and so, it is helpful to reach those who have those bright ideas, who have that mindset but don’t have the opportunity. So, you do need more funding from the county to reach these schools and to reach these areas that do not have that economic ability to fund their own science programs.
((Akul Dixit
STEM Director, STEAMOLOGY))
They can listen to a lecture. They can read a book. But at some point, like even I fall asleep reading a book sometimes. So, engagement…engagement is the way to go. Hands on. And I think that’s what the whole point of STEAMOLOGY is.
((Cami Williams
Student Volunteer, STEAMOLOGY))
I like STEM. It’s fun to do. I do it at least every day. So, I do math. So, I think it’s really fun and interesting how everything happens and how it works.
((Akul Dixit
STEM Director, STEAMOLOGY))
This event so far has been a success. And we've seen like a big enough crowd that our STEAMOLOGY, our word has gotten out to the underrepresented community in this area. So, it's been really good that we could reach out to them.
((NATS))
((Emma Mong
4th grader))
I've never been to one of these. I like it actually.
((NATS))