By Michael Hart
 More than 2,500 students attended the 2014 S.T.E.A.M event at West Los Angeles College. | |
Are you looking for the next generation of innovators in the automotive industry? You might be able to find them at S.T.E.A.M. Nation. For the fourth year, S.T.E.A.M. Nation will draw more than 2,500 students from Los Angeles County schools to learn how science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) can intersect with careers they might go into when they finish school. It is a single day that allows companies in dynamic industries, such as the automotive aftermarket, to inspire children and ignite passion in the future creators of new technologies.
S.T.E.A.M. Nation will take place Saturday, October 10, at West Los Angeles College in Culver City, and there are major ways and reasons why the automotive industry should get involved.
“The elements of entrepreneurship and innovation are embedded in the automotive industry,” said Scott Golden of Star Education, one of the educational nonprofits involved with the event.
Technology leaders from all over Southern California will be at S.T.E.A.M. Nation, and Golden and his colleagues are hoping automotive companies will also be there.
“Kids can learn about your expertise by you showing them prototypes of products you make, then showing how you made them and what you did to improve products already out there,” said Raymond Loo, also of Star Education.
For instance, he pointed out, last year one exhibiting company started their demonstration by talking about customers who wanted a new kind of tire rims. Then they showed students the designs that came from those first ideas, followed by an engineer who talked about how he worked through the problem of transforming that design into a real product.
Children get excited about engineering and design by seeing how things are made, Loo added.
There will be opportunities for automotive companies to display and demonstrate their products and speak at workshop sessions that will be held throughout the day on technology and design topics.
For more information on how to get involved, go to steamnation.org or call 714-743-8823