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iMAGINE STEAM Festival

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About the Festival

April 18, 2020

The iMAGINE Lakelands STEAM Festival is a designed to showcase preK-12 education and career pathways in Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering and Math (STEAM) through fun, hands-on learning for families from across Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda Counties. The festival will be a highly visible street festival that engages companies, schools and nonprofits in providing exciting, interactive STEAM learning exhibits for PreK-12 students and their families. The purpose of the festival is to ignite the interest of students in STEAM learning and career pathways. This exciting event will take place on April 18, 2020 from 11 am – 3 pm in Uptown Greenwood from the Arts Center, along Oregon Avenue, to the Farmers’ Market. It will feature hands-on activities, interactive demonstrations and family-oriented STEAM entertainment. The iMAGINE STEAM Festival is an initiative of the Upstate SC STEM Collaborative managed by South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics and Science (SCCMS) at Clemson University.

The mission of iMAGINE STEAM Festival is to create meaningful experiences that promote a culture of lifelong learning and career readiness with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), innovation, and entrepreneurship for Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, & Saluda Counties in South Carolina.

The Issue

In South Carolina and across the nation, business leaders are struggling to meet the current and projected demand for jobs in STEM. Companies will not invest in a community unless they are confident that they can find the talent they need to stay competitive. Only 26% of South Carolina students are graduating with the degrees and certification necessary to obtain these jobs. Students' lagging performance in K–12 math and science, particularly among minorities, is a critical reason why.

Source: Education Commission of the States

The Solution

The good news is that effective programs like iMAGINE Lakelands STEAM Festival are beginning to fill in the gaps in the STEM pipeline in South Carolina. iMAGINE Lakelands STEAM Festival partners with major South Carolina employers to identify high demand career pathways and showcase them to a new generation of innovators in exciting ways. Through interactive learning experiences, iMAGINE Lakelands STEAM Festival sparks the imaginations of PreK-12 students and fosters their aspirations to pursue 21st century STEM careers.

Program Goals

Celebrate STEAM, innovation, and entrepreneurial activity in Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, & Saluda Counties.

Promote PreK-12 education and workforce development with an emphasis on student readiness.

Raise awareness and educate students, families, and professionals about STEAM career opportunities in Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, & Saluda Counties.

Ignite an interest in STEAM for PreK-12 students and cultivate lifelong learning through hands-on experiences that connect to 21st century careers.

Increase opportunities for under- represented groups and promote equity in STEAM education and careers.

 

iMAGINE is a program of South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics & Science (SCCMS) at Clemson University.

The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences is creating a rich environment for students to develop not only excellent technical skills but also a broad set of abilities that position them as the intellectual leaders of tomorrow.
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SC's Coalition for Mathematics and Science
SC's Coalition for Mathematics and Science
An alliance of partnering organizations and initiatives working together everywhere that STEM matters to address STEM education challenges in our State through partnerships, advocacy and public engagement.
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Upstate SC STEM Collaborative
Upstate SC STEM Collaborative
The central mission of the Upstate SC STEM Collaborative is to pursue opportunities and possibilities in STEM education to promote workforce development in the Upstate region of South Carolina.
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