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Maryville College STEMfest set for April 3

Everything old is new again, at least for the members of the Maryville College chapters of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and Tri-Beta Biological Honors Society (BBB), organizers of the College’s annual STEMfest.

This year’s event, which takes place from 2-6 p.m. Sunday, April 3, is the relaunch of the annual science carnival that in years past has drawn as many as 1,000 participants and visitors, said Dr. Nathan Duncan, associate professor of chemistry and faculty adviser of the MC chapter of ACS. 

“It’s been a while since we’ve done this because of COVID, but at one time, it was growing and growing,” he said. “This year, the officers of these two organizations have never gotten to do a STEMfest, because the last time we held it was in 2019, so they’re excited about it.”

STEMfest is a family-friendly, educational carnival that celebrates the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEMfest will include a number of games, including Life-sized Operation and Lego Car Racing, as well as the annual Pie Eating Contest and all-ages STEM demonstrations throughout the day.

“It’s a carnival of games with a scientific bent to them where people can win prizes,” Duncan said. “Some of the events from the past, like the CRASH Test Engineering Contest, we won’t be having this year, because we’re still rebuilding our way out of COVID, and we’re trying to plan for the number of students we expect.

“We do have some new games, however, like laser tag and the Electron Drop Plinko Game. Any kid who’s ever been home sick from school has watched ‘The Price is Right,’ because it’s the only thing on in the mornings, so they’ve all seen Plinko, and kids love that game.”

STEMfest will take place on the lawn between Anderson Hall and the Sutton Science Center on the MC campus. Admission is $5 per person, and activities will be available for all age groups, Duncan added. There is no pre-registration required to attend STEMfest.

“It will be a pretty good time, and it’s really fun for all ages,” he said. “We get parents who get really involved in playing some of the games, too.”

For more information, email Duncan at nathan.duncan@maryvillecollege.edu.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”