Local schools and innovators met in Pittsburgh’s South Side on September 26, 2016 to trump the city’s stronghold on STEAM education. Twenty-eight local schools received grants the Chevron, Claude Worthington Benedum, and Grable foundations in the amount of $20,000. Each school had their chance to boast their accomplishments at this year’s showcase.

STEAM is an acronym that stands for; Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Beyond the name, STEAM is an educational movement that, for the past ten years, has been reshaping how students learn, interact, and utilize their resources to better prepare them for the world ahead.  Learning can be done in an infinite number of ways, but becoming a life-long learner is the most pivotal part of one’s impact on society. Although the STEAM movement started in Rhode Island, Pittsburgh area schools have taken the field by storm. Rossane Javorsky, The Assistant Executive Director for Teaching and Learning at AIU, spoke upon the subject of always evolving the face of education, “Even since 2009, things have changed. People are more inclined to understanding technology, this makes learning fun for students, and more excited to answer daily questions.”

This year’s Showcase welcomed over five-hundred attendants, including students, reporters, coordinators, and manufacturers. The first exhibit our reporters visited was Bethel Park’s STEAM Art display. Kent Wallisch, an art teacher, explained how their school had integrated science and art, an unconventional mix. “I used to just teach the core art classes. Things like sculpting, visual arts, traditional stuff like that. Once Bethel Park received their grant, the teachers tried to put STEAM to use in their own way. I began creating rust art on my own. Experimenting with different canvases, metals, and conditions really showed me that this type of art is constantly evolving. Once I put these types of works into a classroom setting, I dropped all other classes and just taught ‘STEAM Art’. Although I love teaching the basics, I couldn’t be happier seeing how the mix of science and art manifested into what I teach now.”

Among more tech-based exhibits was Union High School with a captivating program called zSpace. zSpace is an IMac style desktop unit that uses 3D imaging to project highly detailed models of things such as human hearts, motorized vehicles, and even whole ecosystems. Students use special glasses to enter the 3D world, where they can dissect organs, create art in three dimensions, or even take a simulated walk in the park. When asked how classroom dynamics have changed with zSpace, a Union Area biology teacher stated, “We got the machines last year and began putting them into use this year. Students absolutely love them, and use them nearly on a daily basis. While zSpace hasn’t fully replaced other traditional tools, it is an excellent supplement to textbooks and class notes.” Our reporters had their hand at using zSpace at the showcase. Although it took a bit of time to grasp the machine's’ behavior and controls, we were highly impressed with the capabilities of zSpace and how greatly it could change the typical classroom experience.

Alongside the twenty-eight schools were eighteen exhibitors, each having made their own product, contribution, or program based on STEAM. Digital-physical classroom tools seemed to be a recurring theme and Happy Ions is no exception. Developed by Schell Games, Happy Ions is a software program designed to help students better understand the elements, their structure, and how they bond with each other. The software utilizes your tablet’s camera to photograph and analyze physical models of compounds that students create. A representative from Schell explained it as “a major upgrade from the wooden ball and stick molecules so many of us remember from our chemistry class.” She went on to say that, “Happy Ions is a much more effective way to show students, especially younger students, how the elements bond with each other and why. While our kits don’t include all 100+ elements, it uses basic compounds and elements to provide a stepping stone into more advanced chemistry courses.”

The Showcase peaked at noon, when the lights dimmed and everyone turned their attention to the stage. An introduction video compiled of clips from the schools attending began the presentation. Soon after, Tyler Samstag took to the podium. Mr. Samstag is a Harvard graduate and Pittsburgh native who has been working all of his adult life to reshape how students learn and how STEAM subjects are taught. Samstag has worked alongside organizations such as the Benedum and Grable Foundations to provide grants, projects, and other incentives to schools in the Pittsburgh area. Gregg Behr, executive director of The Grable Foundation, received honors from the Chief Executive of Allegheny County, Rich Fitzgerald. Although Mr. Fitzgerald could not attend this year’s showcase, he had appointed the Allegheny County Director of Community Affairs, Mary Esther Van Shura, to present Behr with honors on his behalf. Among other things, Behr is a member of the Remake Learning Council, a board of decorated education leaders who are working to provide funds and courses to further advance STEAM education in schools. In July, Behr was recognized alongside nine other education leaders in Washington D.C. as a White House Champion of Change. To conclude the keynote presentation and Behr’s honors, September 27, 2017 was deemed “Gregg Behr Day” by Allegheny County.

We were lucky enough to catch Mr. Samstag after the presentation for a questions. We focused on the impact STEAM learning has made and how everyone can benefit. “STEAM is a great way to engage students in learning. It is a much different environment and can help with long-term development. The hands-on approach and having the students become more independent works much better than traditional methods of even ten years ago.” When asked why a long term approach has been a main focus of STEAM education, Samstag replied with, “The careers are changing, at one time manufacture jobs were essential, job requirements are no longer focusing on one single task, careers and businesses are looking for people that have multiple skills in different fields for workers to become assets. STEAM can better prepare students for future jobs, and make them more versatile and successful at those jobs.”

The 2016 STEAM Showcase is a reminder to all of us that we are never fully prepared for the journeys ahead. However, this isn’t something that should strike up fear in those who are still building their future. In fact, it should strike up excitement in progress and the hunger to achieve. STEAM learning is a way to answer tomorrow’s problems today.