By Tracey Taylor - St. Brendan HS
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
With a mix of middle, high and college student minds in action at STEM Day at St. Brendan High, students tested out the "boats" they had to design to carry as many pennies as possible. FIU student Pedro da Costa (center in navy blue) placed the test paper boat in water and students counted how many pennies it could hold.
MIAMI| The St. Brendan High School STEM Academy and Club recently co-hosted the first Sabre STEM Day with Florida International University’s Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society. Local middle school students were invited to learn about different engineering concepts, including aerodynamics, buoyancy, and structural foundation, through a series of hands-on activities.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
STEM Day hosted by St. Brendan High in association with FIU's Tau Beta Pi's Engineering Honor Society allowed for middle school students' imaginations and curiosity to run wild. Students enjoyed hands-on activities that tested their creative engineering like balloon-powered cars designed out of Legos, as shown in this picture.
St. Brendan High School first partnered with FIU’s Tau Beta Pi three years ago through their Mindset Program, which offers high school students the opportunity to learn about basic principles of engineering. The partnership also allows students to learn about the rewards and challenges of a college education. The FIU students are among the top of their class and provide important mentorship to the high school students, advising them on important courses to take while in high school and sharing their experiences with internships and job searches.
This year, Tau Beta Pi and St. Brendan High School took their partnership one step further by reaching out to the local middle school students and introducing them to the Mindset Program. The schools that were invited include:
- Everglades K-8 Center
- Good Shepherd Catholic School
- Mother of Christ Catholic School
- St. Agatha Catholic School
- St. Brendan Elementary School
- St. John Neumann Catholic School
- St. Theresa Catholic School
STEM, a rapidly growing field, is an acronym for a curriculum in science, technology, engineering and math. Students who are exposed to the application of principles in the STEM areas learn important critical thinking skills and are better prepared for their future.
The middle school, high school and college students in attendance at the Sabre STEM Day enjoyed the activities. It was also a great way to celebrate National Pi Day and Albert Einstein’s birthday. Participants agreed that this should be the first of many STEM days hosted by St. Brendan in the years to come.
This article was written by Aileen Escarpio, director of the STEM Academy at St. Brendan High.
