Move over “Star Wars,” there’s a new war invading campus. The science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program is hosting it’s first ever STEM Wars competition this semester.
Participants will compete in creating an educational presentation where the grand-prize winner will win an iPad.
Chemistry professor Jeffery Bradbury and biology professor Michelle Navarro are the creators of STEM Wars and came up with the concept last semester.
Their objective for the contest is to get students more involved in using technology and to help other students learn chemistry or biology topics using media sources like YouTube.
Students that wish to compete will have to submit a proposal by Friday, Aug. 30 via the event’s website and make a creative presentation that involves one of the two topics, meiosis or acids and bases.
The proposal can be a simple description of their planned project.
Bradbury said, “We don’t want students to be afraid of the deadline for the proposal because they could probably come up with something at Starbucks with a cup of coffee pretty quick.
We really want them to use technology in a very creative way. In a way they get excited about and that’s very interesting to them. We know that students deal with technology differently than the professors, (so) they’re going to come up with ideas that we haven’t thought of,” Bradbury added.
Navarro would like many entries for the competition and is trying to get her students interested in the contest.
“I am hoping we get anywhere from 20-30 entries. It will be exciting if we get at least ten. I am hoping the prizes will encourage people.”
Navarro has high hopes for the future of the contest.
“If it goes well this year, I would be excited if other departments in the STEM division would bring forth their own topics, and (therefore), it (will be) a much greater STEM Wars competition where we have geology, physics, or some other department.”
The winning presentations will be chosen at the STEM Open House on Sep. 27 and will be used in the future to help other students learn more about meiosis and acids and bases.
To learn more about the contest rules and deadlines, visit the website.
