Students from Neenah’s Hoover Elementary School will have a unique opportunity to learn the basics of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) from Neenah High School students and engineers from Bemis Company, Inc. on Fri., March 7. The event will even feature a welcome from Bemis Chairman and CEO Henry Theisen.
The all-day event will engage students in hands-on problem solving skills, engineering design process and teamwork. The kindergarten through fifth grade students will rotate through seven STEM stations.
Theisen will welcome the students along with Steve Salter, a professor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Affiliate Director of Wisconsin Project Lead the Way, and Neenah High School teacher Tony White.
Students will then be divided into seven groups and rotate through the following stations that were designed by Neenah High School manufacturing and engineering students:
- Lift Challenge – create a machine to lift a tennis ball the highest
- Bridge Challenge – build a bridge between two desks that holds the most weight
- Catapult Challenge – create a launching device to shoot a pompom the farthest
- Tower Challenge – build the tallest tower which is also stable upside down
- Boat Challenge – build a boat that will hold the most weight without sinking
- Bemis Technology Demonstration – learn about the science of flexible packaging by creating a candy wrapper and shrink wrap labels for water bottles (donated by Copps in Neenah)
- At-Home Learning – Experiment with different engineering apps on iPads
Every participating Hoover student will receive a t-shirt and souvenirs from the Bemis Technology Demonstration. Bemis Technology Development Manager Ryan Michaud and Director of Materials Kevin Nelson will present awards to the top team in each of the five challenges. The day is also a great opportunity for the Neenah High School students, who will be able to have lunch with the Bemis engineers and experience the Bemis Technology Demonstration.
“This is a first-of-its-kind event and we are so fortunate to have the support of Bemis to make this happen,” White said. “This is such a great opportunity for our elementary students to be exposed to this exciting field through our high school students and engineering professionals.”
Bemis Company, Inc. is a multinational company based in Neenah and a major supplier of flexible packaging used by leading food, consumer products, medical and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Bemis also supplies pressure sensitive adhesive coated materials globally to label, signage, medical and graphics companies. With 78 facilities in 12 countries, Bemis serves customers around the globe.
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