Past Exhibit Examples
Get ready to dive into the exciting world of STEM at our upcoming festival, where Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics come to life for students and families across eastern Iowa! This vibrant celebration isn't just about fun—it's about sparking a passion for learning and discovery in the next generation. Together, we’ll explore hands-on activities that fuel curiosity and highlight the amazing career opportunities waiting in the STEM fields. Join us for a day filled with inspiration, laughter, and the chance to envision a bright future in STEM—because who knows? The next great innovator could be right around the corner!
Please keep these guidelines in mind while planning for a successful STEM festival:
- No sales activities—the focus is on inspiring STEM learning and discovery.
- Painters’ tape is the only tape allowed on the floor or walls.
- Oil of any kind (motor oil, vegetable oil, etc.) is prohibited.
- Glitter is not allowed at exhibits.
- No open flames are permitted.
- If you're bringing live animals, you must get prior approval from the planning committee.
- Drones are only allowed with prior approval from the planning committee.
The Northeast Iowa STEM Hub
Various exhibit examples for the following business sectors:
Activities from Various Sectors
AGRICULTURE
John Deere
Participants measured the power needed to pull the machinery through wet sand.
ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING
Origin Design
Origin Design brought a hands-on activity for kids to be able to use Lego duplos to build a retaining wall and see if their design collapses / fails . This activity is designed to get kids thinking about designing. How high of a wall can they build? How can we backfill to give stability?
IMEG
Participants were challenged to build the tallest tower out of paper.
Girls Scouts
Participants worked together to build a straw building with the local girls scouts.
ISG
ISG had participants build towers out of foam blocks. Structural stability was determined utilizing a fan to withstand a horizontal wind force.
Collins Aerospace
Participants were able to talk with volunteers about how different aerospace machines work and got the opportunity to test them out. They were also able to make cutout airplanes to take home.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Upper Iowa University
Participants operated a GoPro camera and a Wacom tablet to test their graphic design skills.
CONSTRUCTION
Hawkeye Community College
Attendees got the opportunity to feel what it is like to be in the driver's seat behind some big machinery that would often be used on construction sites.
Waterloo Career Center
Participants got the opportunity to use drills and other tools to perform basic construction skills.
ENERGY & UTILITIES
East Penn
By using Snap Circuits, East Penn had participants wire various items to replicate the flow of energy in a battery.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Black Hawk County Conservation & Soil
Black Hawk Co. Soil & Water Conservation brought a soil erosion rainfall simulator and an Enviroscape watershed model on display to teach students about the connection between storm water, soil erosion, water quality, and what they can do to help protect water in our community.
Green Iowa AmeriCorps
Attendees were quizzed on their leaf identification skills and were challenged to identify differences.
Hartman Reserve
Students got the opportunity to look at various different furs and shells to attempt to guess what animals they belonged to.
FINANCIAL
Community Bank of Oelwein
Participants participated in a ring toss using pop bottles. Place on top of bottles were various coin amounts. Participants were asked to calculate the total. If correct, the participant won a prize.
First Bank
Attendees learned how to write checks with First Bank. They then were able to practice writing checks on a giant dry erase check.
GENERAL
Iowa Public Television
Participants replicated shapes using tangrams.
Loras College Math
Using dice and cards, attendees were able to play a probability game and were challenged to beat the exhibitors.
LAW ENFORCEMENT/FIRE & RESCUE
Fayette Co. Sheriff Department
Fayette Co. Sheriff Dept. showed attendees the technology utilized by law enforcement everyday.
Dubuque Police
Participants explored a Dubuque Police Department patrol vehicle.
Waterloo Fire & Rescue
Participants were able to test out their firefighter skills with rope rescue equipment and a demo called "HazMat ID Mass Spectrometer" with the Waterloo Fire and Rescue.
UNI STEM
Participants were involved in an investigation to find the missing mascot using chromatography.
Manchester Police Department
Participants got the opportunity to put on goggles to simulate the effects of impairment and attempt to do a set of tasks.
Dubuque Police Department
Participants were able to test their speed with the Dubuque Police Department to track how fast they could run using a radar gun.
MANUFACTURING
Viking Pump
Participants operated various pumps with Viking Pump. When the water reached the top, the column lit up. They also brought moving pump demos and examples of liquids that they pump.
John Deere
Participants welded with a virtual reality tool.
Geater (GMM)
Participants measured the diameter of a circle utilizing different tools.
John Deere
Participants measured the power needed to pull the machinery through wet sand.
Fusion Products
Participants operated on the computers to test their knowledge of measuring by playing a ruler game with Fusion Products.
Bodine Electric
Bodine Electric had participants build low voltage (5 volts) electric motors.
Engineering Services and Products
Engineering Services and Products had a demonstration on hydroponic growing, and an activity of building structures out of spaghetti and marshmallows.
Bayer Crop Science
Bayer Crop Science had various different activities for participants to interact with to demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle, including making vapor rings with trash can to show air flow.
MEDICAL
Regional Health Services of Howard County
Regional Health Services of Howard County used an IPad and a 12 inch platform to show participants all the different part of the body that they used during their jump.
NICC Nursing
Participants navigated various syringes by pulling water out of a bowl and measured the liquid in the syringe.
MercyOne
MercyOne operated a small ultrasound machine to view their arteries and veins.
University of Iowa Medical
UI Health Care provided interactive medical activities. Activities included; laparoscopic surgery. Kids had the opportunity to try their hand at minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.
Paramount Ambulances
Paramedic teaches participants about all the different medical equipment that is used during their job.
Ideal Chiropractic
Children had the opportunity to create a spine out of noodles with Ideal Chiropractic.
MercyOne Dubuque
Students were taught how to "Stop The Bleed" with MercyOne. They got the opportunity to apply a tourniquet to a dummy to practice their life saving skills.
Cedar Falls CAPS Medical
Students and families were taught how to listen to their own heartbeat and how the heart works.
Northeast Iowa Community College Radiology
Attendees were shown different x-rays and were challenged to see what was wrong with the x-ray and learn how x-rays work.
