The college’s new Bay Pines STEM Center served as the home for Dr. Erin Goergen’s inaugural STEM by the Bay Conference, held in January.
The first day of the event, attendees had the opportunity to attend a variety of concurrent sessions, a working lunch, and panel of professionals session. After lunch, student posters were presented.
Saturday was filled with a variety of hands-on STEM workshops ranging from Citizen Science to Drones, Arduino and Biostatics. The weekend culminated in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service project. Nearly 50 participants helped install a native plant garden along the perimeter of the building. Additionally, the group partnered with Keep Pinellas Beautiful and helped to remove a total of 3,260 pounds of trash and 25 pounds of aluminum from the STEM Center property!
Inaugural STEM by the Bay Conference
Organizers designed the conference – set for January 12, 13, and 15 – to allow students to meet with STEM professionals and learn how they entered their chosen fields and to get hands-on experience while exploring what areas were a best fit for them.
Bay Pines STEM Center
The center is dedicated to supporting collaboration and training opportunities for students in STEM disciplines. Science labs at the center are dedicated to Dr. John Chapin. The retired dean of natural sciences at the college, he passed away in February 2017.