Hundreds of students from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) will showcase their scientific expertise at the district's upcoming STEM fair this Thursday at the Wisconsin Center.
More than 600 students representing 54 MPS schools will bring projects to life, and share them with attendees and judges. This year's fair includes students from grades K4 through 12, making it the largest one since the STEM Fair's inception in 2007, according to the MPS Foundation.
Student projects include engineering solutions to solve everyday problems, as well as investigations designed around scientific questions of interest to students. Projects are divided into three categories:
- Science Inquiry (answering a question)
- Engineering Design (solving a problem)
- Research Study (high school only)
"Exposing MPS students to the STEM field is vital because that's where the jobs are," MPS Foundation Executive Director Tiffany Tardy said, "yet the fact remains that women, Black and Latino individuals remain underrepresented in STEM-related jobs.
"So, when we think about solving Wisconsin's workforce challenges, supporting the MPS STEM Fair is a crucial part of the long-term solution. When we invest in efforts like this, we're investing in the state's future talent pipeline."
The MPS STEM Fair showcases the best of the best from around the district. The majority of the students and their projects already proved themselves at school-level STEM Fairs. At the next level, volunteers from the community representing education partners, businesses and higher-education institutions will collaborate to judge the students on a variety of criteria, including:
- Asking questions and defining problems
- Developing and using models
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Using mathematics and computational thinking
- Engaging in argument from evidence
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
During the awards ceremony, MPS will give out the "Tomorrow's SHEroes in STEM" and "GE Spirit" honors again this year. One teacher will also receive a Flex Farm, an indoor hydroponic farm, in recognition of their support of the STEM Fair over the years.
The STEM Fair runs from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, with the awards ceremony at 12:45 p.m. The event is made possible by the MPS Foundation and GE HealthCare.
