South Valley Science and Engineering Initiative
EXPLORE STEAM FAIR
by Susan Hines , Director , South Valley Science and Engineering Initiative Photos by Doug Rogers and Phil Hines
“ Best day of my life !” said by an elementary aged child to her mom on Sunday evening , August 4 , 2024 , as she left South Valley Science and Engineering Initiative ' s ( SVSEI ' s ) inaugural EXPLORE STEAM FAIR at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center . EXPLORE is SVSEI ’ s free , family friendly , science , technology , engineering , art , and math collaborative ( STEAM ) event , replacing the competitive South Valley Science and Engineering Fair . Both sponsored by SVSEI , this shift was made to increase access for all students to fun , high quality , no cost , hands- and minds-on STEAM activities for local TK-12th graders . SVSEI is a 501c3 under the Morgan Hill Community Foundation . SVSEI ’ s mission is to provide youth engagement in STEAM through both community outreach and by providing a safe , inclusive , free public STEAM events for the Morgan Hill , San Martin , and Gilroy communities .
At EXPLORE , over 100 Morgan Hillians enjoyed playing while learning with Cubelets ( modular robotic blocks ), air powered paper rockets , reverse engineering , 3D art , 2D art , and 2D art with 3D elements , making thaumatropes ( optical illusion kinetic toys ), vacuum forming , quilting , robotic soldering , finding out about 3D printing , and doing stormwater activities . SVSEI coordinated with our local nonprofits , artists , teachers , technologists , and community members to produce a public fair with a varied mix of activities as a way of showing children the interconnectivity of the arts with the traditional STEM fields , encouraging creativity and working on problem solving skills . This was acknowledged during the presentation portion of EXPLORE by Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner ,
Councilperson Yvonne Martinez Beltran , and Joseph Farfan from the Office of County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas , who delivered a commendation to SVSEI .
Kudos to SVSEI ’ s booth partners : Heather Geddes and her Morgan Hill Library team , Ileana Alvarado of the City of Morgan Hill Stormwater Program , Kat Trod and the Live Oak Robotics Club , artists Jennifer Blalack , Marilynn Host , and Diana Earl , Coyote Grange School Maker Faire ’ s Elsie Engelhardt , CTE teacher Jim Burnham , quilter Sharyn Frentner , LCAC commissioners Robyn Carrillo and Suman Ganapathy , and welcome table supervisors Donna Dicker and Mary Cox . Our appreciation goes out to the Office of County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas for providing a county services information booth . And no event is complete without our SVSEI board of directors Peggy Martin , Sudha Raman , Phil Hines , and Adam Escoto , photographer Doug Rogers , or our wonderful volunteers : Morgan Hill Kiwanians Margaret Graham , Craig Kennedy , Chris Kennedy , Sally Pollard , Brian Judd , and Dusty Perryman , Sobrato High School Key Club , Phil Peterson and his local Scout troop , AAUW-Morgan Hill ’ s Darla Andresen and Karen McDonald , Ernie Olivares and his Gilroy Early College Academy ( GECA ) team , and all the community members who came out to make EXPLORE a success .
Please join us March 1 , 2025 , for the expanded 2025 EXPLORE STEAM FAIR at Britton Middle School ’ s Student Union . If you can ’ t wait , join us at one of our outreach events listed at www . southvalleyscience . org .
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