The LA Regents Region 6 LaSTEM Center, hosted by NSU’s Alexandria campus at England Airpark, was joined by their fellow centers in Regions 3 and 8 in hosting the 2024 “Find the Recipe for Rural STEM” at the Megashelter south of Alexandria Friday. February 8. The event was attended by over 1,400 students from schools throughout central Louisiana. The youngsters got to see displays, demonstrations and try hands-on educational activities from over 27 agencies, colleges, and firms.
The annual event is just one of many initiatives sponsored by the LaSTEM centers to spark an interest in the sciences, math, and engineering among our state’s young minds. Students from Northwestern State University’s Nursing, Allied Health, Math and Sciences departments took time away from their studies to share their enthusiasm about what they do with the young men and women attending. Much of LaSTEM’s mission is to show our state’s young people possibilities they may not have realized. Those NSU students and faculties’ love of their subjects was obvious. They were superb ambassadors for their university and subject areas.
The Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts likewise brought a table of sharp young people, including former NCHS student Diamond Smith. The LSMSA students showed their young visitors a row of microscopes with everything from bread mold to insect legs to see under magnification.
It was a joy to watch faculty, industry leaders and college students that have an obvious passion for what they do share that knowledge and passion with our area’s young people.
