by Dot Cannon
“It’s printing a student right now,” said teacher Wesley Baxter. “He couldn’t make it, so we decided to 3D print him.”
Wesley, who teaches physics and calculus at Eldorado Emerson Private School, was demonstrating his program’s new printer. And he was just one of the exhibitors STEAMing along at “Imaginology”, at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa on Saturday.
Saturday, April 16th was the second day of the OC Fair’s thirty-sixth annual “Imaginology“: a three-day free education and entertainment event. “2016 OC Fair Imaginology” showcases the talents of Orange County students in a number of areas, including science, technology, engineering, art and math. Youth, from preschool to high school, were participating–with everyone invited to come and experience it all!
And the exhibits are as much about hands-on experience as they are about education.
“I have to do this!” exclaimed one small spectator, when offered the opportunity to control this robot through a phone app. (This is one of the projects offered through Eldorado Emerson’s STEM program, which, Wesley said, is now six months old.)
Meanwhile, “Hector”, the four-year-old bearded dragon lizard, was making an appearance–courtesy of Oak Canyon Nature Center, in Anaheim.
And the Heritage Museum of Orange County challenged visitors with these old-time blacksmith’s puzzles.
While these were just some of the attractions at the OC Promenade entrance…
…there was plenty to see, throughout the OC Fairgrounds.
Inside the OC Science and Engineering Fair, these were under construction.
In the Santa Ana Pavilion, high-school teams were participating in the VEX Robotics Build and Competition.
Each team received a similar robot kit. Then, they had a limited amount of time to build a functional robot that could compete against the other teams.
“Would you like to plant something?” asked Antoinette Buffalo, of Neighborhood Oasis Gardens.
Antoinette had both seeds and earthworms on hand, as she explained the ways gardening provides S.T.E.M. education!
Among some favorite afternoon events was the vaulting demonstration.
Vaulting, unlike trick riding, involves a rider on a horse directed by a handler. The rider moves fluidly with the horse’s motion, the announcer explained.
“Gigi”, a four-year-old OC Equestrian Vaulting Team horse, did the honors.
4-H goat and sheep competitions were also part of the afternoon.
As with any great community event, seeing everything was impossible. But, the good news–there’s still one more day left! 2016 OC Fair Imaginology runs through Sunday, April 17th.