EVO students present at ASTC

This past September, EVO students Mel Deblasio and Amir Bond Little had the opportunity to attend an International Museum conference hosted by the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC). Over the course of the event, which was held at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, students listened to keynote speakers discuss current issues in the scientific community and learned how to improve equal representation in STEM fields. A highlight of the conference was the opportunity for current EVO students, myself included, to present our work to educators from around the world. We led an interactive workshop, which taught other conference-goers about our “Ladies First!” exhibit. Personally, I found the chance to speak publicly about the project and its many implications challenging and rewarding. The visitors asked insightful and pointed questions, and I was encouraged to think more critically about our project. In general, the workshop participants were impressed with the quality of our work, as well as our ability to present our ideas and engage during the workshop itself. I also had a great time listening to presentations given by other student representatives. These high school students were all members of local programs similar to EVO, and had used various media and technology to study ecology, engineering, and more. Amir and I joined these other students on a Q&A panel following the workshop, where we talked about our specific projects and what we found rewarding about our respective programs. Overall, it was a great learning experience and incredible opportunity. -by Mel Deblasio