450+ Middle and High School Students Attend Bengal STEM Day

It was all things STEM on Idaho State University’s Pocatello campus Thursday. 

ISU’s College of Science and Engineering hosted its annual Bengal STEM Day for middle and high school students at the Pond Student Union Building. The annual event features activities designed to inspire students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including hands-on workshops and demonstrations led by ISU faculty, students, and local STEM professionals. This year, students created catapults, identified minerals, extracted DNA from strawberries, built roller coasters, peered at microbes through microscopes, and more. 

“We had so much fun exploring minerals with the students, teaching them actual techniques that we use to identify these important building blocks,” said Shannon Kobs Nawotniak, professor of geosciences. “The kids got really into it, too, with teams racing to figure out the most minerals.”

“We’re happy to support Bengal STEM Day and give students from all backgrounds the exposure to engineering early on,” said Katie Lewis, vice president and director of administration of Salas O’Brien, an engineering and technical services firm, and host of the roller coaster building activity at Bengal STEM Day. “We know that sparking STEM interest early and often helps increase the types and numbers of amazing individuals interested in the profession of engineering. This event is an asset to our community, our business, and the students who get to participate.”

This year’s edition saw more than 450 students participate in Bengal STEM Day. Over the last four years, more than 1,700 students and teachers have attended. 

“Thank you to the dozens of volunteers who make Bengal STEM Day possible and help to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,” said Logan McDougall, executive director of college relations for ISU’s College of Science and Engineering and lead organizer of Bengal STEM Day.

For more information about ISU’s College of Science and Engineering, visit isu.edu/cose.