STEM Night
By Rachel Fowler, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief | TLT Publisher's Pen June 2024
Watching younger generations get interested in science is a wonderful sight to see.
STLE member Bob Erck with Argonne National Laboratory, and member of the STLE Chicago Section, with Nathan Fowler working on Argonne’s water wheel demonstrator rig experiment.
Back in March, my eight-year-old son Nathan had a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Night at his elementary school. As many of you know, a STEM Night is an evening of hands-on and interactive activities for students and families to complete together. It generates excitement for STEM in schools and the community by allowing students, teachers and families to explore together in a fun way. Nathan was very excited while participating in the experiments at his school event and didn’t want to go home.
The evening included many fun experiments, including elephant toothpaste, a hover craft, ball pendulum, CO
2 bubbles, sling shot, PVC tubulum, tornado in a bottle and more. The ball pendulum used a board to push pendulum balls and create oscillations demonstrating energy. The CO
2 bubbles involved adding dry ice and warm water to a device, adding bubble mix and creating a white foggy gas that was collected in the bubble mixture. The PVC tubulum, or pipe drum, had a large stand with PVC tubes, and the kids could slap the tubes demonstrating sound and frequency. The tornado in a bottle had connected bottles, and the kids watched oil and water move and spin to create a vortex of liquid.
STLE member Bob Erck with Argonne National Laboratory, and member of the STLE Chicago Section, was able to attend the excitement that evening. He brought Argonne’s water wheel demonstrator rig for his experiment. “I think it’s important to ‘pay it forward’ by sharing the insights gained from working in STEM with the younger generation,” Erck says. “Rather than overwhelming students with complex and inexplicable demonstrations, I want to inspire them to approach seemingly daunting challenges by taking small steps toward solutions. That is the essence of science and engineering: to formulate problems, find solutions and implement them. My aim is to ignite a spark of curiosity and inquiry within them, qualities that are essential should they decide to pursue a career in a STEM-related field and make valuable contributions to society.”
While walking around the gym during STEM Night, it was great seeing the wonder and curiosity in the students’ eyes. I could see Nathan’s brain working hard through his facial expressions as he tried to figure out certain experiments, and he was happy once he figured something out. It was a wonderful sight to see.
STLE local sections participate in STEM Nights like this and regularly provide quality programming on industry-related topics and host networking and social events. They support the STLE goal of locally improving public understanding and appreciation of the science of tribology and the practice of lubrication engineering. STLE local sections are a community of engineers and scientists that participate in numerous technical meetings, education programs, manufacturing tours, social events and outreach through STEM Nights and science fair programs. Joining an STLE local section also is a convenient way to keep up to date with your STLE certification requirements and professional education opportunities. I encourage you to get involved in the STLE local section in your area. For more information, visit
www.stle.org/localsections.
Nathan also was excited to meet an STLE member for the first time at STEM Night since I talk about my career at home often. I got to combine my personal and professional worlds, which was great!
You can reach TLT publisher/editor-in-chief Rachel Fowler at rfowler@stle.org.