Students got a look at jobs opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as the district and New York State Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre hosted a STEM and Tech Fair at Edmund W. Miles Middle School on Sept. 18. It was open to middle and high school students as well as their families and community members.
Several science- and technology-based institutions were on hand to showcase products that would excite students about careers in STEM fields. Farmingdale State College highlighted its nursing program while Wilson Tech, which offers 30 programs for high school sophomores and juniors, showcased its aviation program and allowed students to use a computer flight simulator. Brookhaven National Laboratories had a hands-on gravity and surface tension experiment.
The New York Institute of Technology, Microsoft and the Long Island Gaming League partnered to showcase several technology initiatives including Xbox video games, Sphero robots and virtual reality headsets. In one activity, students were asked to use an iPad and control the Sphero robot and roll over numbers in a grid, finding a path that added up to exactly 24.
The event also provided an opportunity for the district to show how science and technology are infused into the elementary, middle and high school curriculum. Northwest Elementary School Principal Kathleen Hyland, Assistant Principal Sonia Rodrigo and teachers Jenny Smith and Kerrin Faulker set up laptops that allowed guests to try their hands at coding using KidOYO, or view projects made by students using iMovie or Flipgrid.
Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School librarian Tim Quinn showed several of the items using the Makerspace program including green screen technology. He set up an interactive station for the circuitry invention kit Makey Makey. By holding a piece of foil connected to a wire and tapping on bananas, visitors could play the bongos.
Amityville Memorial High School social studies teacher Matthew Tomasi had a presentation on Brain Pop and Flocabulary, two programs filled with interactive content in all subject areas. The middle school had display boards filled with photos from activities that students have done in STEAM classes.
The fair was held to mark STEM and Tech Week in New York from Sept. 16-22. Dr. Thomas DeNicola, the assistant superintendent for technology and administrative services, said that it was an opportunity for the community to learn about technology integration in Amityville schools and throughout the region by seeing it and experiencing it for themselves. He noted that the fair was a collaborative effort among the district’s administration and faculty, Assemblywoman Jean-Pierre’s office, technology companies and Long Island science institutions.