Knoxville, Tennessee (WVLT) – Secondary students in eastern Tennessee had the chance to discover the first -hand sciences on Saturday.
The University of Tennessee library inspired them with Big Orange Stem on Saturday (Boss).
“Our theme this year is” the future is now “and so we have everything, from our futuristic artificial intelligence to breastfeeding from the latest trends,” said Thura Mack, deputy dean of the library.
The boss is an annual tradition for the University of Tennessee. Students in different programs speak with high school students and help them find a passion for science.
“I think that when people can see something, it is easier for them to imagine where they want or where they can be because some people may not see it. They think that “Oh, maybe I can’t go to university” or “maybe I can’t do that”, but once you see it, you know you can build this passion And this fire and say “ they are doing it, I could do it too, “said Ayrika Anderson, senior ut.
Anderson said that she came to these STEM events when she was in high school, and she is happy to help the next generation of scientists.
These are many first STEM events in high school students, while others have been going there for years. These students said what they learn was a source of inspiration.
“Many of what we could do and what we could enter and things like that,” said Kin Savage. “It can also show us that these people came from the same environment as us. The speaker we had previously come from a environment very similar to us and he still managed to go to university and arrived where he was. It is a great inspiration.
The event organizers said it was an opportunity to help the next generation determine what they want after graduation.
“They remove a set of basic skills that they can apply immediately and continue to use in their classrooms, continue to use as they get their secondary school diploma and make this decision,” said Mack.
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