On Wednesday, March 7, the annual Quartz Hill AV STEM Expo will take place. The STEM Expo is an exciting competition in which any student interested in science can showcase their knowledge in various events related to the subject. It is similar to a science fair, but superior in the selection of unique categories and the requirements. Not only is participating in the STEM Expo bound to be a great experience, but it is also an opportunity to win exciting prizes. Those who top the AV district competition have the chance to win a Macbook Air or many other electronic devices.

From 3 – 5pm, students who have signed up for the competition will meet in the large gym and compete in the various sections for which they have signed up. The categories for the STEM Expo this year are Environmental/Agricultural Innovation, Invention, Reverse Engineering, Robotics and Computer Science, Rube Goldberg, Science Fiction, and Scientific Inquiry. On the website, avstemexpo.org, the rules are stated with how the events are to be judged and what needs to be prepared.

Miguel Aguirre, a student who is planning to participate, expressed his desire to do well in the competition: “Not only will I be able to get the experience of competing in an exciting science competition, but I can also win a Macbook Air and get free food! What’s not to love about this competition?”

After the local school competitions are over, the top three entries from each category in each event will be allowed to attend the district competition, which takes place on Saturday, April 7. Each school in the AV High School District will be allowed to compete, as well as certain other outside schools. Furthermore, engineers from various aerospace establishments in the valley will also be scheduled to attend and give speeches, motivating the children to pursue careers in the STEM fields.

Noah Heming, another student enthusiastic about the competition, described how he wants to do well in the STEM Expo. He said, “Some of the categories of events are pretty neat. Science fiction, for example, is not something any old science competition would have. I’m probably going to compete.”

For any STEM enthusiasts or just students who want a Macbook Air and extra credit from their science teachers, the Quartz Hill Stem Expo Competition is definitely an event to anticipate. It will be exciting to see the creativity and intelligence of our students.