The Porch Visits STEAM Career Event For Local Students

The Oklahoma City Innovation District hosted its third annual Innovation Week event at the Science Museum Oklahoma, providing over 1,200 students from the Oklahoma City Public School district with hands-on exposure to STEM and STEAM career opportunities.

The week-long event featured nearly 30 organizations and educational partners, including the FAA, OU, OSU, SWOSU, and Rose State, who led interactive activities and demonstrations for the students.

"Kids get to try a ton of different things." Monique Walker, Manager of Partner Engagement and Special Projects explained that the event aims to give students a "deep dive into the different career opportunities that deal with STEM and STEAM right here in the state." Activities ranged from a drone flying competition to robotics demonstrations by the Kingfisher High School FIRST Robotics team. Participants had the chance to explore fields such as health sciences, life sciences, and advanced technology. "This event is a hands-on STEM activity for the booths for the students to participate in," Monique said. "We have different industries and educational partners that are represented here today."

The strong partnership between the Innovation District and Oklahoma City Public Schools has been instrumental in the event's success, allowing students across the district to attend throughout the week. "We're set to have nearly 1,200 students walk through the course of the Science Museum doors over this week," Monique said. "This is the highest number we've had in our third year."

The Innovation Week event aims to inspire and educate the next generation of STEM and STEAM professionals, exposing students to a wide range of career paths and workforce development opportunities. "This is a really great partnership with Oklahoma City Public Schools, and they have been a great partner and have been instrumental in getting the students here and allowing them to have access to organizations and opportunities like this," Monique added.