Hundreds of students attend STEM at the Museum

Hundreds of students put their lab coats on, went to the Museum of Idaho and took part in “STEM at the Museum.” The second annual event invited kids in grades K-12 to learn about the science, technology, engineering and math that goes into STEM.

“It’s all about the children. Bringing them into the world of STEM and showing them that it’s not only easy but fun,” said Dr. Catherine Riddle, a research scientist in radiochemistry at the Idaho National Laboratory.

Kids of all ages were invited to MOI to get some hands-on learning in STEM.

The Idaho National Laboratory and the Idaho Section American Nuclear Society wanted to show the group of “future STEM leaders” how exciting the curriculum can be and how it is used in possible careers.

“We’d really like them to become scientists, engineers and mathematicians,” Riddle said. “They are the next generation, they are our future.”

Idaho Falls Zoo, Idaho Falls Power, Mountain View Hospital and more helped present at the day-long event.

“A lot of future doctors probably in the kids that we’ve seen come through,” said Chalet Ard, with Zimmer Biomet and Mountain View Hospital. “They asked lots of questions, which is awesome. We like to show them the different jobs and different things that are out there in the medical field.”

With several interactive exhibits involving chemistry, circuits, radiation, space, Thursday’s fun was nothing short of a success.

It might have even brought out the scientist in some.

Organizers were able to give each student a lab coat because they wanted them to engage and feel like they were real scientists.