Montgomery HS students attend Hopewell Science Fair Expo

Post date: Apr 21, 2016 3:47:24 AM

Hopewell Valley Elementary Science Fair Expo

A marble knocks down a stack of dominoes in a Rube Goldberg device. Bedcovers are fitted perfectly using a complex system of levers. Bottles of perfume with exotic names like “Midnight Dream” and “Rosemary” are presented at “La Maison des Parfums.” The creators of these ingenious devices? Elementary school students!

At the action-packed and highly stimulating Hopewell Elementary Science Fair, students and professionals mingled as one. Students participated in unprecedented numbers - 250 from Hopewell alone! It was truly an inspiring sight to see all these people united in their love for STEM, and how their passion led them to achieve what most kids never even dream about. The excitement on every child’s face as he or she presented their own project, tried out their peers’ demonstrations, or interacted with professionals was a sight to behold. As MHS sophomore Arushi A. reminisces, “Seeing the kids putting themselves out there made me proud that the future generations are going to be so ambitious.”

Montgomery High School’s STEM Board also made its unique presence known at the Fair. Proudly represented by Science Olympiad, Cougar Coders Club, and Discover, the MHS STEM Board demonstrated a myriad of hands-on activities and cool demonstrations. Students watched in awe as a tubelight lit up when brought near a nondescript metal cylinder, or squealed in delight when Science Olympiad’s Master-Slave Robot Arm picked up candy and offered it to them. MHS sophomore Aadhrik K. notes that "The kids were very interested in the builds and were eager to learn about them.” Kids and adults alike tried their hand at editing a Scratch game’s code or playing against the computer in a Cougar Coders designed-JAVA Rock-Paper-Scissors. Excitement ran high as students teamed in pairs to design code using simple syntax to guide their “robot” partners through the Cougar Coders’ Programming Maze and win lots of candy!

Many people often wish there were more opportunities for them to participate in STEM-related activities at a younger age. However, at Hopewell, elementary students got a chance to kindle a lifelong passion for STEM. As MHS sophomore Jason W. reflects, “It was a great opportunity for Montgomery to show off engineering and programming to young children. I sincerely hope we were able to spread STEM to a larger audience." Indeed, it was a pleasure to watch the kids’ eyes light up when seeing a new challenge, not just for the candy, but more importantly for their love of the field itself.

Montgomery HS’s STEM Board played a pivotal role in showing parents their children’s innovative potential as well as proving to professionals that the jobs of tomorrow are in capable hands. By exposing students and their parents to the endless possibilities achievable in STEM fields, Hopewell Science Fair achieved what no textbook or course can ever hope to replicate - sparking a lifelong passion for Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math in an entire community's spirit!

~ Priyanka Dilip, ‘18

For a YouTube video created by Jason Wu '18 commemorating our participation in this event, click here.

For a gallery of pictures taken, click here.