The high school held its annual STEM Festival virtually for the first time on Saturday. The festival included keynote speakers, presentations and experiments from different groups.

“I believe that this was the fourth LISD STEM Festival,” said Ray Cooper, animation teacher, electives and CTE department chair. “The STEM Festival is a chance to see, learn, do. In the past, students of all ages have visited the STEM Festival, [which] not only generates interest in STEM in general, but it also can ignite a desire in students to get involved in STEM-related careers.”

The festival included activities such as DNA extraction, stop motion animation and 3D modeling, all of which could be enjoyed from a virtual setting.

“We had several different Zoom sessions with speakers from different backgrounds in STEM,” AP Biology teacher Sadaf Syed said. “Students were also able to sign up for the DNA extraction activity, pick up kits from Bio-Rad and were able to extract DNA at home by following along in a live Zoom session.”

The Zoom panels included speakers from the National Weather Service and NASA, as well as college students pursuing STEM degrees.

“I gave a presentation about how to pursue a STEM degree in college,” said Adam Bronson, Microbiology major at Oklahoma State University. “I was so excited to be able to share my experiences as an undergraduate and to be able to connect with smart students.”

While the STEM festival is normally held in person, many of the events were able to be done virtually. 

“I think the speakers had a great impact on students because the Zoom sessions allowed students to learn from them but also ask questions in a way that is similar to virtual classes,” Syed said. “Anytime students are engaged to hand in learning, it’s a good day.”