The Wichita River Festival will introduce STEAM City at this year’s event on Sunday, June 5. Throughout the day, 30 booths will provide fun and interactive Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) activities. Newman will have its own booths at the event to promote the Newman University Science Outreach Programs (NUSOP).
Associate Professors of Biology Michael Bradley, Ph.D. and Susan Orson, M.A. will head up the biology booth where they will discuss various characteristics of bones. The visitors to this booth will explore topics such as the difference between entrances and exits of gun shot wounds, characteristics of skulls and teeth, and differences in male and female post-cranial bones.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ryan Huschka, Ph.D. will be at the chemistry booth talking about fireworks. Newman students Crystal Bell, Robert Nguyen, and David Baalmann will help Huschka reveal the science behind fireworks, demonstrating how different metals determine the coloring of fireworks. They will also explain how to make a traditional “snake firework” from safe household materials.
Since 2014, Riverfest has included STEAM activities for a younger audience in the Cox Kids Corner. This year will mark the first for STEAM City, which will be directed toward an older audience of middle and high school students.
Director of Marketing and Communication at Wichita Festivals Teri Mott said, “It was a natural transition to create STEAM City because it was a way of providing local businesses and organizations that seem routed to be able to show kids and people in the community some of the ways they do what they do.” Mott added, “It also translates into futures for some of these older kids.”
Be sure to head over to the booths for a visit on Sunday. The university representatives will hand out brochures about NUSOP along with some cool Newman swag.
