Schweitzer gives students an inside glimpse of STEM

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories has found a way to take learning outside the classroom, and inspire young minds in the ever growing world of STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

SEL celebrated its 10th anniversary Thursday of hosting its annual Great Day, or Getting Ready for Engineering and Technology Day. The event at the company’s plant in Pullman is an ongoing effort created to excite kids about STEM and empower them to keep learning. Around 90 middle school students from 30 schools across the region attended the event, working with SEL engineers and innovators.

John Cassleman, K-12 outreach program coordinator at SEL, said the event was created to introduce children to STEM, but also to engage them in ways they couldn’t necessarily do in the classroom.

“One of our goals is to engage students throughout their scholastic career,” Cassleman said. “We really want to push their understanding within a specific domain like engineering. But also, Great Day is kind of unique and special because it’s so hands-on. The students have permission to get up, move around and try things they haven’t tried before.”

SEL held its first Great Day in 2013, but over the years the program has drastically changed to fit kids’ needs.

Corey Baerlocher, a teacher at Steptoe Elementary School, has been bringing kids to Great Day since the event launched. He’s seen the program evolve and doesn’t plan on missing future events any time soon.

He said the first year, engineers talked to them about high level concepts that were hard for him to follow. But now the program is all about collaboration.

“I mean the stations that they have these kids going to, they’re interacting, engaged and learning what might be limited in public school,” Baerlocher said. “It’s such an amazing opportunity for these kids to see no matter how outrageous their ideas or thoughts might be, there’s a place for them in science.”

Steptoe is a small town in Washington, and Baerlocher said the school has only 28 students between kindergarten and eighth grade. He was able to bring both his seventh- and eighth-grade classes, or 10 kids, to Great Day.

Carter Hall, an eighth-grader at Steptoe, said his favorite part was trying to figure out how to solve problems with limited supplies. He added he learned how important teamwork and coordination are when working in a group.

Sofie Colyar, an eighth-grader at Steptoe, said she’s been coding for three years and was really excited to learn more about technology. Her favorite part of the event was the tour of SEL, and added that everyone had a great time.

Bryan Foutch, an engineer at SEL, taught one of many workshops during Great Day. Foutch is the user experience division owner at SEL, and helped kids design and code their own iPad app. The app took items found in a backpack and digitized them, so students could take notes electronically and collaborate with their peers over homework assignments.

Foutch said the program is for anyone, even if they don’t want to become an engineer when they’re older.

“Great Day isn’t about being an engineer, it’s about identifying the problem,” Foutch said. “It really empowers everyone and teaches kids to innovate when they’ve noticed there’s a problem they have to work around.”

Cassleman said though the event was created to introduce kids to STEM, there’s so much more they can take away. He added the program teaches kids to be more confident, courageous and curious in their ideas.

“These types of activities provide kids with a spark for science, technology and their passions,” said Cassleman.

SEL plans on continuing its annual event as it’s a big hit within the community. Cassleman said each year the company teaches something new and already has ideas for the next Great Day.

“This is an incredible gift to the community,” Baerlocher said. “We’re grateful for SEL taking on and growing this. It has so much impact.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com