NIC Explores STEM

The Lake Coeur d’Alene Room in the SUB became home to much activity as ice cream was made with liquid nitrogen, robots performed various tasks and everything from helicopters to human lungs sat on display.

The 2017 NIC STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Expo on April 18, included more than 30 vendors. NIC student clubs and community programs brought visual representations of their interests in the various STEM disciplines.

The focus of the STEM Expo was to increase awareness about the different disciplines within STEM fields, as well as to encourage members of the upcoming generations to get interested in STEM.

“The main interest of a STEM Expo like this is get children interested in the STEM fields,” said Corey Koerner, NIC student and chemistry club member. “We’re trying to show them that science is fun, that engineering is fun, that math is fun because look at all of these great things that you can do with a little bit of knowledge. The whole point of today is to get people excited and to get people going about something that they normally think is boring.”

For many others, the STEM Expo represented an easier and more engaging way to access the various fields while encouraging those who may not be inclined to engage in the first place.

“It’s always important to educate the future scientists and get people excited about getting into a scientific field,” said Kirsten Blanchette, NIC chemistry club member. “I personally believe that it is very important for women because if you look around, the vast majority of us are gents instead of ladies, so that’s really why I do this.”

In addition to the various displays run by vendors, there were also many presentations hosted that featured guests from the Idaho Space Grant Consortium, the University of Idaho, the US Navy and even aerial displays on Eisenwinter Field just outside of the SUB.