More than 750 students, parents, STEAM professionals and community members packed the Los Alamitos High School gym at the 4th annual Los Alamitos Unified district-wide STEAM Showcase, which was provided by LAEF (Los Alamitos Education Foundation) recently.
Students of all ages created amazing projects that incorporated science, technology, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM). There is a nation-wide movement to bring more of these subjects to our schools and to inspire children to pursue careers in these fields.
“The participation and enthusiasm of this year’s STEAM showcase was unparalleled. Students of all ages not only presented their projects but were inspired by other Los Al students and our keynote speaker, Shah Selbe,” said LAEF Executive Director, Carrie Logue.
The STEAM Showcase took place from 10 a.m. to noon in and around the LAHS Gym. Student projects included 3D printing, robotics, psychology, computer programming, biology, chemistry, food science, video production, product design and much more.
Keynote speaker Shah Selbe is a National Geographic Explorer. A Stanford educated engineer, Selbe started his career as a rocket scientist for Boeing. Now he is a conservation technologist who uses his engineering skills to address our greatest conservation challenges, including protecting our oceans and wildlife. His projects integrate smartphone apps, drones, satellite data, sensors and crowdsourcing to address issues that include illegal poaching and the monitoring of protected areas. His presentation that was both informative and inspiring for all STEAM Showcase participants, families and community members.
Students and spectators also visited STEAM Professionals’ booths and interactive stations. Booths included Build-It Workspace, Virgin Orbit, National Geographic-Cengage, and a STEM professor from Long Beach City College. Build-It Workspace kept many entertained with their rocket launcher; onlookers were able to create their own paper rockets to set off.
The LAEF STEAM initiative is funded by generous donations to the 2107-18 King and Queen of Hearts campaign. It ended on Feb. 24 at the coronation gala and raised over $210,000. The Andeavor Foundation also supports LAEF’s STEAM initiative and middle school Robotics program. Mr. Kenneth Dami of Andeavor was on hand to present the grant check for $20,000. The Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) works with each of the nine school sites to provide STEAM fairs and the STEAM Showcase.
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF impacts all students by providing significant funding for STEAM teachers and instruction, as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources. For more information, visit www.LAEF4Kids.org/steam or call 562-799-4700 ext. 80424.