PCE News
Merging Big Ideas: PCEC Brings STEM to Another Successful Confluence Festival
October 11, 2022
Padnos College of Engineering and Computing stepped up for the second consecutive year at the Confluence Festival on Saturday, September 24. This annual event calls itself a “multi-dimensional festival” that brings together music, art, science, and technology for a hands-on experience that demonstrates the power that can occur when multiple disciplines converge.
“The creativity and imagination that Concluence Fest ignites is inspiring,” said Sara Maas, Director of K-12 & Community Outreach. “When you bring together these seemingly unrelated fields and harness the energy and enthusiasm of those who work and live in those worlds - it’s really exciting.”
Maas and a group of GVSU student volunteers attended the Maker Expo - an event that brings together “enthusiasts, crafters, hobbyists, engineers, and artists” for demos, experiments, and DIY opportunities. The PCEC group taught attendees how to make thaumatropes, a two-sided disk with a picture on each side attached to two pieces of string. When the strings are twirled quickly between the fingers the two pictures appear to blend into one due to the persistence of vision. Thaumatropes are identified as the precursor to early animation devices.
“It’s such a great opportunity to interact with the larger community, especially K-12 students, who maybe haven’t had many experiences with STEM concepts or activities,” said Maas. “It’s awesome to see that spark in their eyes and see them respond to something that we’re so passionate about.”