STEAM Fest Energizes T3 Alaska Students & Community
Prince William Sound College, conveniently located just a short walk from both Mt. Eccles Elementary School and Cordova Junior/Senior High School, hosted an energetic and collaborative STEAM Fest on Friday, November 22. Coordinated by Lauren Bien, Education Director at the Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC), and Nachi Yellapragada, Cordova T3 Coach and Education Americorps Fellow at PWSCC, the event attracted dozens of students and showcased T3 Alaska’s educational philosophy, emphasizing growth mindset, technology skills, and community engagement. Both students and community partners expressed enthusiasm for expanding the program and building on its successes.
Open T3 Alaska events provide an opportunity to introduce younger students to STEAM concepts. Mrs. Gayle Becket’s sixth-grade morning session introduced students to the power of “yet,” a cornerstone of the growth mindset: “I don’t know how… yet.” Through interactive icebreakers, students tackled the rope puzzle challenge, where they were connected by twine and tasked with “unlocking” themselves (and their potential) from one another. Guided by Lauren and T3 Alaska Coach Nachi Yellapragada, the activity emphasized teamwork, communication, and persistence, showing students how effort can turn the unknown into the known.
Of course, no T3 Alaska event would be complete without a Brush Bot competition! Whether their bots were spinning, wrestling, or racing, students enjoyed a lively mix of hands-on learning and laughter—hallmarks of the T3 experience. We look forward to more opportunities to spark their interests until they qualify for the program in high school.
The primary session welcomed students from grades 7-12, including both T3 Alaska veterans and newcomers eager to learn something new. Dividing into two groups, one team lead by Zachary Cureton-Hazard, Instructional Designer & Markerspace Manager at UAF Center for Teaching & Learning, explored Tinkercad, an accessible platform for beginners delving into 3D printing. They worked on the Secret Santa Cookie Cutter Exchange project, a festive statewide club gift-giving initiative currently underway.
The other group collaborated with a community partner, the Native Village of Eyak’s Cultural Department, contributing to a meaningful cultural preservation effort. Teal Hansen and Dananya Hoover from the Ilanka Cultural Center guided students in scanning traditional objects into software for replication through 3D printing. This fascinating project highlighted the importance of preserving cultural heritage and demonstrated how traditional values can intersect with modern technology. Gabriel Low, [insert Gabe’s title], assisted students in this process, successfully using a design of an Eyak goat horn spoon by Designori to produce a 3D replica of the artifact. In addition to the spoon, students also explored two other traditional objects: a stone carving tool and an oil lamp.
To cap off their efforts, the students visited the Ilanka Cultural Center to present their deliverables to Lynette Ronnegard, ICC Tribal Elder, and Janalie Howard, ICC Coordinator. Their work was met with genuine appreciation, underscoring the meaningful connection between the students’ technology skills and the community’s cultural preservation goals.
The two groups reunited for an inspiring demonstration by Teal Hansen and Dananya Hoover, who revealed how the Native Village of Eyak is leveraging 3D scanning technology to create a virtual pre-contact Eyak village experience that immerses users in traditional ways of life. The immersive experience allows users to hold a spear, converse with elders speaking the Eyak language, and even virtually pick berries, creating a vibrant connection to cultural practices. This groundbreaking project blends cutting-edge technology with storytelling, and serves as a powerful reminder of how modern innovation can honor and sustain the rich history and values of Indigenous communities.
The event didn’t stop there! Friday was an exceptionally beautiful day in Cordova, providing the perfect opportunity to get outside and fly drones. Nachi Yallapragada guided a group of students in learning how to operate drones and capture extensive video footage. The students are eager to dive into the editing process, so stay tuned for the final results.
Prince William Sound Science Center’s STEAM Fest was a celebration of learning, innovation and collaboration. By engaging students with hands-on activities like 3D printing, cultural preservation, and drone piloting, the event not only furthered technology skills of our students, but reinforced the importance of community engagement. Students left with new skills, a growth mindset, and a deeper appreciation of how to connect technology with their community needs.