The Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio will be hitting the road to bring activities to the community with their new mobile trailer. The group purchased a 16′ x 7′ trailer this week from Elizabethtown Trailers who offered them a church discount on the piece of equipment. Cohaverieventures of Conway donned the trailer with a wrap featuring photos from tribe member Alina Freeman. The mobile unit will be present at the third annual STEM Day.
The event will be held on Sept. 16 at the Lake Waccamaw State Park from 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. It is free of charge and offers a wide range of activities suitable for all ages. The organization will be ushering in over a 100 Native American youth and elders from across the Carolinas to take participate.
Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio is an award-winning, grassroots community led program founded by members of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe in STEM careers. Their mission is to increase Indigenous communities’ understanding of STEM while providing STEM opportunities to tribal youth and families.
The goal of the event is to provide enriching learning experiences for all participants and to offer a diverse range of activities. You can expect to engage in an impressive lineup of 12 workshops like Science of Cosmetics, Traditional Medicines, Meet the Meat Eaters, DNA Discovery, Making Dugout Canoes, Farm Drones, Onward Oxobots, and so much more.
They will also be awarding a $1,000 in scholarships from their essay writing competition during the event’s graduation ceremony. Each youth participant will receive a STEM kit to take home at the conclusion of the day.
In addition, they have planned a series of workshops and activities for their elder tribal members to ensure their full engagement and enjoyment. These activities include learning about internet safety with ‘How to Avoid Being Hacked on Facebook, indulging in virtual journeys with ‘Virtual Reality World Tours’, and a private pontoon boat tour of Lake Waccamaw.
The studio’s “Growing the Village” exhibit, created by youth of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe during the 2022 and 2023 STEM Competition, is now open for viewing and located in the Lake Waccamaw State Park Visitor Center. The exhibit is sponsored by the Corning Foundation and the Whiteville Arts Council.
To learn more about the Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio and all their upcoming events and activities, visit their website at https://stemstudio.waccamaw-siouan.org/.
