Zane State Holds STEM Combine

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Zane State College hosted over 100 area middle and high school students today to promote STEM education and careers.

Zane State Professor Will Bailey explained how the event introduces students to emerging technologies and the educational pathways needed to pursue those careers.

“Well, it’s a STEM Combine,” Bailey said. “It’s for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and we’re here to spark curiosity in the students from a couple schools, Zanesville City and Buckeye Trail. And we want to see if they’re interested or maybe gain interest in Science, Technology Engineering and Math fields for future careers. We have robotics, we have electrical engineering technology, we have the medical lab technician or technology represented and as well as the ability to learn to fly drones.”

NextFlex Education and Workforce Development Senior Program Manager Lauren Friedman explained how 8th and 9th grade students who are involved with their FlexFactor curriculum are benefiting from their visit to Zane State.

“This is an additional resource or opportunity for the students so that they can continue to learn more about where they can go from here,” Friedman said. “So they’re going to learn today about some different educational pathways that are open to them, especially at Zane State. And then they are also going to be able to see demonstrations of some of those advanced technologies.”

NextFlex’s FlexFactor program is a project-based learning course that was created to introduce youth to flexible hybrid electronics and other emerging technologies that are found throughout the advanced manufacturing industry.