STEM Adventures:
Bringing K-12 Students to Research Labs and Facilities 
Middle COuntry Central School District

In culmination of their offshore wind capstone projects, 35 seventh graders from Selden and Dawnwood Middle Schools visited Stony Brook University’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) on April 18. Interacting with researchers, industry members, and subject-matter experts, the students showcased their projects, which asked “What is Offshore Wind” and then was followed by specific implications for Long Island, including housing prices, effects on marine life, costs of energy, and more.

Lunch for the students and teachers was sponsored by Vineyard Offshore's New York Community Liaison  Aaron Siegel provided insight from the developer’s perspective. The diverse panel of experts viewing the projects included Phil Rugile, Executive Director, Institute for Workforce Advancement and OSW Supply Chain, Heather Banoub, Assistant Vice President, Community Relations, Stony Brook University, Kayla Walsh, Coastal Climate Specialist,New York Sea Grant, and Deborah Mann Rodriguez, Grants and Research Manager, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences,Stony Brook University.

To close the event, the students and their teachers went into the Reality Deck, where they saw how virtual reality can be used to model and simulate climate change, coastal flooding, and urban resilience. Middle Country School District’s  Science Research Coordination  Rachel Ndembera said of the event, “We appreciated the opportunity to showcase student work and give them an opportunity to talk with experts in the field about what they had learned. We are looking forward to next year and continuing the partnership!”