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UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING PRESIDENT ED SEIDEL

invite 

3rd annual stem carnival

— AND THE —

Statewide Agricultural Research and Extension Centers

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2024
10AM • 2PM 

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Cliff and Martha Hansen Teaching Arena • Laramie, WY
Hosted by the UW Top-Tier Science Initiative

The STEM Carnival will feature a wide range of engaging STEM demonstrations and hands-on activities from UW faculty, students, programs, and local businesses! This year we will have an agricultural focus and attendees will get the chance to explore activities led by the UW Agricultural Research and Extension Centers located in Laramie, Powell, Sheridan and Lingle. Participants will also get the chance to meet two of UW’s most iconic ‘employees,’ Pistol & Pete. Come learn and experience STEM!

 

Questions? Please reach out to stemcarnival@uwyo.edu!

 

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Schedule with gears

  • 10 am: Carnival Begins

 

  • 10-2pm: Explore the 50 plus hands-on STEM tables inside and outside the Hansen Arena

 

  • 10:30am: Additional Activities featuring the Statewide Agricultural Research and Extension Centers and more

 

  • 11:00am: Additional Activities featuring the Statewide Agricultural Research and Extension Centers and more

 

  • 11:30am: Additional Activities featuring the Statewide Agricultural Research and Extension Centers and more

 

  • 12:00pm: UW Western Thunder Marching Band

 

  • 12:00pm: See physics in action with the watermelon drop!

 

  • 12:30pm: Additional Activities featuring the Statewide Agricultural Research and Extension Centers and more

 

  • 1:00pm: Additional Activities featuring the Statewide Agricultural Research and Extension Centers and more

 

  • 1:30pm: Additional Activities featuring the Statewide Agricultural Research and Extension Centers and more

 

  • 2pm: Carnival Ends

*Free Lunch Served all Day by the University of Wyoming Food Science Program*

 

 

 

 

Additional Activities

Design Your Own Brand: From Concept to Keepsake! (Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership): Step into the world of animal science and creative design with this exciting activity! Young innovators will have the chance to create their very own unique livestock brand, watch as RMAL experts use special equipment to etch their design onto a real ear tag, take home a one-of-a-kind keychain featuring their personal brand. Each ear tag keychain will also showcase the RMAL logo (if possible), serving as a lasting memento of this hands-on STEM experience. Join us to explore the intersection of agriculture, technology, and creativity!

Sowing the Seeds of Wyoming Agriculture (Wyoming State Seed Laboratory): Planting the passion for agriculture one seed at a time! Dry bean and grass seed production is a huge part of Wyoming agriculture, especially in Park County. As participants learn the ins and outs of the Wyoming Seed Analysis Lab, located at the Powell Research and Extension Center, participants will take a deeper look into the different parts of and functions of seeds. Participants will have the opportunity to dissect their own seed and learn how that seed transforms into a seedling. 

*VIP SPECIAL* Black Holes and the Nature of Space and Time (UW President Ed Seidel and Physics Professor Dr. Chip Kobulnicky): UW President Ed Seidel and helpers will lead students on an exploration of gravity and massive objects like black holes, using video clips and hands-on demonstrations.  Participants can play with placing masses on spandex tables that simulate how massive bodies in the universe warp the fabric of space-time, causing even light to travel on curved paths. 

Precision Agriculture in Wyoming: (The Sheridan Research and Extension Center (ShREC)): Price Akiina and Chloe Mattilio will discuss applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS/drones) in precision agriculture and rangeland monitoring, with student led classification of imagery examples from research projects. Thermal UAS flight demonstrations will take place outside for each student group.

Seed Cleaning Basics: (The Sheridan Research and Extension Center (ShREC)): Heidi Schueler and Beth Fowers will discuss applications of seed cleaning techniques for rangeland restoration. Students will get the chance to experiment with seed cleaning and compare and contrast seed from desirable versus weedy plants.

Bee the Scientist (Science Initiative Roadshow): Graduate Student Sabrina White will teach about the different ways bees live through the year (including during our very cold winters) and what plants they need to stay healthy. You will discuss some of the challenges facing our pollinators and what we can do to help them including how they contribute to our agricultural landscape. Students will the get their hands dirty (literally) by creating “seed bombs” with Wyoming native wildflowers that they can plant in their yards. Students will finally build and decorate bee houses to take home to promote pollinators.

Studying Stomata: A Glimpse into Crop Breeding (The Powell Research and Extension Center (PREC)): Crop plants transpire water vapor through thousands of very small apertures on their leaf blade surfaces called stomata.  Quantifying the density of these stomata may be important for crop breeding programs such as our efforts to develop more drought-tolerant and water-efficient varieties.  This exercise/activity will demonstrate one method for quantifying stomatal density.

Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs, Oh My! (UW Department Animal Science): As part of research efforts lead by University of Wyoming Department of Animal Science Faculty and Graduate Students, we are excited to show you ongoing research projects with cattle, sheep, and pigs! Students can expect to see live animals, hear from graduate students about their projects, and learn exciting things about each type of animal!

Sustainable Agriculture (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center (SAREC)): Explore and learn about the ongoing efforts to increase integrated agricultural systems that foster innovative growth in the field. This includes precision agriculture and irrigation technologies that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially acceptable.

Cattle Get Broken Hearts Too: Why it Happens and How We Can Test for It (Laramie Research and Extension Center (LREC)): Brisket disease is a condition of the heart and lungs in cattle managed at high elevation. This demonstration will cover why it happens and how ranchers can diagnose and manage it.

Participating Units
  • Department of Plant Sciences  

  • Land Surveying Program  

  • Division of Kinesiology and Health / LAMP  

  • University of Wyoming Geological Museum  

  • CyberWyoming Alliance  

  • INBRE  

  • J & J Second Chance Small Holdings  

  • Wyoming State Science Fair  

  • Sheridan College Ag  

  • Extension Entomology  

  • University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates  

  • Stable Isotope Facility  

  • Weiss-Lehman Laboratory (Botany Department)  

  • UW Biodiversity Institute  

  • Zhang Laboratory (Mechanical Engineering Department)  

  • Science Loves Art  

  • Animal Science Department  

  • UW School of Energy Resources  

  • Admissions Office  

  • College of Ag, Life Science and Natural Resources  

  • UW Extension - State 4-H Office  

  • Anthropology Department

  • Zoology and Physiology Department

  • Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom

  • Civil Engineering Department

  • Honors College

  • Monteith Shop

  • Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation

  • Wyoming NASA Space Grant & Science Kitchen

  • Wyonics LLC

  • WyomingView

  • Wyrkshop Mobile Makerspaces

  • Wyoming Game and Fish Department

  • UW CEAS - Advanced Carbon Valorization

  • University of Wyoming - College of Health Sciences: School of Pharmacy

  • College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Susan McCormack Center for Student Success, K-12 Outreach

  • Microbiology Program

  • Maternal 2 Adolescent Eating Nutrition and Development Labratory (Family and Consumer Sciences Department)

  • Williams Conservatory, Botany

  • Wyoming 4-H

  • Physics & Astronomy

  • Family and Consumer Sciences

  • EWC College of Agriculture

  • Wyoming Migration Initiative

  • Health Sciences Advising

  • WYOBIRD (Zoology and Physiology Department) 

  • Chemistry Department 

  • Molecular Biology Department 

  • School of Computing 

  • Chemical and Biomedical Engineering 

  • Eidin Laboratory (Science Education) 

  • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 

  • EdgeFlyte 

  • SAE AWIM® AmeriCorps Program 

  • Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium 

  • Powell Research and Extension Center (PREC) 

  • Sheridan Research and Extension Center (ShREC) 

  • Wyoming State Seed Laboratory (PREC) 

  • Laramie Research and Extension Center (LREC) 

  • Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership Program 

  • Sabrina White of Zoology and Physiology 

  • Chip Kobulnicky of Physics & Astronomy 

  • President Ed Seidel 

  • UW Operations