Super STEAM Saturdays Are Back at Washtenaw Community College

Super STEAM Saturdays offering middle schoolers the chance to explore and learn about science, technology, engineering, arts and math are back at Washtenaw Community College.

The new season of free hands-on activities led by WCC faculty and other experts from their career fields kicks off October 5.

Super STEAM Saturdays occur monthly and are designed with middle schoolers in mind, although younger and older students are welcome.

The October 5 activity from 1-2 p.m. offers a dive into chemistry. WCC instructors Drs. Tracy Schwab and Eric Schwab will lead students through building molecular models of everyday chemicals and equipment and solving mysteries and crimes such as coin counterfeiting.

In the November 9 session, students will meet through Zoom with WCC English Department faculty Tom Zimmerman, Maryam Barrie and Ernesto Querijero to discuss the complexity and beauty of poetry written about science. This exploration is meant to engage student intellect imaginatively. The Zoom link will be sent after registration.

The December 7 Super STEAM Saturday is an on-campus workshop during which 15 participants will take home a LINGO kit (valued at $80).

LINGO is a self-paced, project-based coding kit with fun and engaging online video tutorials that feature easy-to-follow instructions. WCC STEM Scholars Ahjanae Harris and the STEMBoard team will oversee students’ efforts to assemble and program a car’s back-up sensor with this software.

On January 25, WCC Biology instructor Dr. Emily Thompson will teach a Zoom session called “The Genetics of Fancy Birds and Bird Fanciers” that explores genetic traits of chickens, love birds and humans. Participants should have paper and drawing supplies ready for the art portion of this activity.

More Super STEAM Saturdays this academic year include:

• February 1 — “Coloring Our Universe” examines how electromagnetic spectrums are applied to deep space telescope images to add color to their black and white originals.
• April 26 — “Walk Through the WCC Nature Trail” is designed to enhance hikers’ sensory appreciation of the nature that surrounds them.

If You Go

What: Super STEAM Saturdays

When: Monthly throughout the school year starting in October.

Who: Middle school students and younger

Where: On the WCC campus and via Zoom

Register: https://www.wccnet.edu/announcements/super-steam-saturdays.php

About Washtenaw Community College

Washtenaw Community College (WCC), Ann Arbor, Michigan, educates students through a wide range of associate and certificate programs in areas such as health care, business, STEM and advanced transportation and mobility. The college also works through community, business and union partnerships to develop highly specialized training programs to meet the region’s wo