September 19, 2015
9 a.m. to noon
Porter Hall Room # 120 / Dr. Matt Nehring – “Creating and Controlling Lego Robots”
Grades 4-6 Enrollment cap 14
October 3, 2015
9a.m. to noon
Porter Hall Room # 120 / Dr. Chris Adams – “3D Printing”
Grades 6-8 Enrollment cap 6
October 17, 2015
9 a.m. to noon
Porter Hall Room # 135 / Dr. Kristy Duran – “Bird Ecology”
Grades 4-6 Enrollment cap 14
October 24, 2015
9 a.m. to noon
Porter Hall Room # 135 / Dr. Matt Steffenson – “Spiders, scorpions, and bugs!”
Grades 5-8 Enrollment cap 16
October 31, 2015
9 a.m. to noon
Porter Hall Room # 235 / Dr. Comfort Cover – “Web Design”
Grades 6-9 Enrollment cap 14
November 7, 2015
9 a.m. to noon
Porter Hall Room # 135 / Dr. Meredith Anderson – “Astounding Approximations”
Grades 6–8 Enrollment cap 16
November 14, 2015
9 a.m. to noon
Porter Hall Room # 235 / Dr. Robert Astalos – “Exploring Fractals”
Grades 5–9 Enrollment cap 15
December 5, 2015
9 a.m. to noon
Porter Hall Room # 120 / Dr. Chris Adams – “3D Printing”
Grades 9-12 Enrollment cap 6
Reservations required: Contact Cindy Bervig ( 719-587-7586 ) or Simona Guillen ( 719-587-7381)
As part of Adams State University’s ongoing efforts to influence student success in STEM, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs at are pleased to announce a series of activities for San Luis Valley students: STEM Saturdays. These interactive sessions will stimulate the imagination and curiosity of students and topics range across the spectrum: biology, robotics, earth science, chemistry, computer science and mathematics. All sessions are designed with specific grade-level, developmentally appropriate lessons in mind. They are provided free of charge, but reservations are required as space and equipment are limited. Reserve early to ensure students do not miss out!
Dr. Matt Nehring – “Creating and Programming Lego Robots”
In this three-hour workshop, we will begin by watching a 30-minute program at ASU’s Zacheis Planetarium titled Robot Explorers. At the conclusion of the planetarium show, we will return to Porter Hall where students will learn about robots, modify and construct robots, and learn how to create efficient computer programs that will control robots. During this experience we will consider some of the challenges that NASA engineers are confronted by when they develop robotic missions for exploring the solar system.
Dr. Chris Adams – “3D Printing”
In the past couple of years 3d printing has emerged as an exciting technology that allows the user to bring their creations to fruition in a matter of hours. Using the same plastic used in Lego, designs can be brought from the digital world to life layer by layer. In this STEM Saturday participants will learn how 3d printers work, how to operate a 3d printer, and will have the opportunity to print a design chosen from a vast open-source database of cool creations.
Dr. Kristy Duran – “Bird Ecology”
Come learn more about birds! We will use "hands on" activities to explore bird migration, natural selection in beaks, owl diets, and more.
Dr. Matt Steffenson – “Spiders, scorpions, and bugs!”
Spend the morning learning interesting information about spiders and scorpions with some fascinating live examples. You will then have an opportunity to learn how to collect and pin insects for your own collection. You might even have the chance to eat some insects if you dare!
Dr. Comfort Cover – “Web Design”
In this workshop students will explore how to create interesting and customized web pages using freely available, web-based software. Students will learn some details about networking of computers and how information travels from one place to another on the Internet.
Dr. Meredith Anderson – “Astounding Approximations”
How many grains of sand will fit in the Grand Canyon? How fast does hair grow in miles per hour? What is infinity and are there different sizes of infinity? In this workshop, we will learn about numbers from the very small to the very large by approximating answers to such interesting questions.
Dr. Robert Astalos – “Exploring Fractals”
This class will start with a trip to the planetarium to see the ASU-produced fulldome movie, "Fractal Explorations." (Parents and siblings are welcome to join the class for the movie!) We will then head to the computer lab, where students will learn to use several free fractal generating programs. They will be introduced to the mathematics of fractals so they can understand the many different fractal formulas. We will also learn how to create our own color palettes and how to animate them. We will finish with an introduction to creating fractal movies. The last 15 minutes of the class will be a show-and-tell for families, so students can show off their fractals. Students who bring a USB flash drive to class will be able to take their creations home with them.