By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Increase the time in which the egg comes to a stop. That will be the challenge for attendees at this year's Jack Kilby STEM Day at Barton Community College if they want to win the egg-drop competition. They will only have paper to cushion the blow. Brian Howe, BCC STEM coordinator and instructor of mathematics and physics, said an average of 200 students attend the event each year. This year's STEM Day is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 7.
"We invite high school juniors and seniors, primarily, to come to campus to experience all things STEM," Howe said. "The basic day is, they experience a keynote speaker, they have a couple of breakout sessions they can choose from, then of course, we feed them."
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The subjects are at the heart of Howe's classes. He began as a mathematics instructor at BCC in 2001, and has since taken on roles of physics instructor and STEM Coordinator. The Jack Kilby theme has been utilized since the Great Bend High School graduate won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.
"Jack Kilby was a physicist and engineer; his discovery of the integrated circuit - the microchip - allows us to have phones on our hips," said Howe. "In 2000, the Nobel Prize committee wanted to honor somebody who had a really big impact with technology for humanity."
Barton changed the name of its event from Jack Kilby Science Day to Jack Kilby STEM Day several years ago. To gear up for the event, Howe is messaging high school teachers throughout the region and Western Kansas. The free, single-day event allows high school students to experience the BCC Campus and learn more about the STEM fields.
As the event is free, BCC relies on help from sponsors. Any business interested in sponsoring this year's event can email stem@[email protected].