By Mary O’KEEFE

There is no doubt that technology will play a major role in future jobs. Building STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills was the focus of a day-long event at Crescenta Valley High School on Sunday sponsored by the CVHS 589 Falkons robotics team.

This was the second year that the 2024 Engineering Expo: Fall Tech Frenzy was held. The event promoted STEM education with the goal of igniting a passion among young people for robotics, technology and innovation. Students from kindergarten through eighth grades walked throughout the quad on the CVHS campus and discovered hands-on activities for all to do.

A variety of schools participated including robotic teams from Burbank, Palmdale Aerospace Academy, Franklin High School La Cañada High School and a Jet Propulsion Laboratory-sponsored team named the Rock ’N’ Roll Robots.

Booths on campus included CVHS Sports Medicine, Tinker Club, JPL, Technix Academy, USC Veterbi K-12 Coding Camps, Pasadena City College Laser Technology Program, YMCA of the Foothills, CVHS Chemistry Club, CVHS Academy of Science and Medicine, Glendale Community College and Glendale Educational Foundation.

Those manning the booths invited kids to explore structure using sticks and mini marshmallows. Kids explored solar power through the use of solar engines and fans, used batteries to engineer an engine and of course used LEGOS – and their imagination – to build so many things.

Menasheh Ruiz, a sixth grader from Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School, had worked with solar panels in the past but liked collaborating with CVHS robotic team member Ethan Lee and mentor/teacher Jacob Poole to combine solar panels to increase power.

Rock ’N’ Roll team members showed off their pink robot. Members work with Girl Scout troops and support outreach at annual Girl Scout summer camps.

Not only were robots on-site but drones also flew overhead piloted by USC students from a computer program and in a nod to the basics there was a booth that allowed students to create and learn about paper airplanes.

Chemical science was also involved with a booth that taught kids how to make their own lip gloss.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) was well represented by CVHS’ Entertainment Technology presented a live production of a haunted maze.

Poole said this was the second year of the event and kids, and their parents, seemed to really enjoy it.

“It’s a big STEM day,” he said.