ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Thursday, Upper Peninsula Michigan Works!, Michigan Technological University, Bay College, the Delta Schoolcraft ISD, and other organizations came together to introduce young people to STEM careers.
About 500 middle school students attended the OneUP Mind Trekkers Tour: Hidden Coast Festival at Bay College. The event featured more than 70 hands-on demonstrations, ranging from robotics to combustion.
“In a classroom, learning is the main objective,” said Cassy Tefft de Muños, Executive Director of the Michigan Tech Center for Educational Outreach. “Here, our objective is just to get them curious, experimenting, exploring, and having that confidence in their ability to do so in a place that is encouraging that discovery.”
Students also had the opportunity to speak with professionals from businesses in their own communities, including Billerud, OSF HealthCare, and VanAire.
“We want to be able to keep our students here that already know and love the U.P., try to train them up, and get them to the workforce to fill those jobs in the future,” said Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! Special Initiatives Director Darren Widder. “For the businesses, it provides a little bit of exposure, but also, a lot of them are here to support students as they learn these concepts, then take those concepts back to the classroom, look at what they want to do in the future, and hopefully stay in the area.”
Even organizers are looking for organizations to host and sponsor future OneUP Mind Trekkers Tour events around the U.P. For more information, contact the Michigan Tech Center for Educational Outreach at mindtrekkers@mtu.edu or (906) 487-2219.
