Ag Expo gaining STEAM
A new division has been added to this year’s Creative Living Southwest Florida Ag Exp — STEAM.
University of Florida/IFAS Extension Lee County Family & Consumer Sciences Agent Jennifer Hagen said when the county took over the expo more than a year ago, they designated a couple of extension agents for the events. She said the Lee County Board of County Commissioners was interested in taking it over and making it more of an educational agricultural expo.
The introduction of STEAM this year — science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics — is being included to bring more of an educational focus to the expo. STEAM includes four focuses — robotics, LEGO structure, recycled, or reused material and reclaimed wood.
Miriam Dotson, Southwest Florida Ag Expo spokesperson, said it is engaging participation through more educational ways that people can have exhibits at the expo.
“This taps into creativity, technical skills. It can really be for all ages,” she said, adding that since the county took over, they are connecting activities back to traditional, prideful events. “‘My exhibit can be at the Ag Expo’- it creates more opportunities for them and a level of fun and a chance to put it on display.”
Dotson said it’s another outlet to learn more and the resources out there to help them.
For robotics, participants are welcome to submit any kind of robotics project, or kit they are doing to showcase at the expo. Participants can do a creative build and create something from scratch.
“There are very successful robotic teams and STEAM happening in K-12 schools. I wanted to offer a division to showcase that,” she said. “We are accepting original, or kit builds.”
The robotics class is any item that is motorized and used as a robotic device.
Another section is LEGO. This class must include display ready displays that are not more than 24 inches and weigh no more than 20 pounds and must all be glued or fixed in place.
“They can do any kind of LEGO structure,” Hagen said. “Last year, we had tons of people submitting LEGOs. They are considered almost an engineering type project. It involves all kinds of STEAM principals.”
Again, participants can build their LEGO structure from a kit, or they can be creative and come up with their own creation. She said last year they had a LEGO version of Downtown Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and the Best in Show was a true reproduction of a typewriter.
“That is a creative build. They can submit that as an original creative build,” Hagen said.
With art being so important, it was important to add this component to STEAM — anything that is made of recycled, or reused material, she said.
The recycled, or reused material must be made from previously used materials and must be functional or usable.
“You can build whatever you want, or create whatever you want, but it has to be made completely from recycled materials,” Hagen said. “It doesn’t have to be plastic previously from a water bottle (it can be) egg cartons, recycled fabric that you are now creating a dress out of old T-shirts.”
The last class for STEAM is reclaimed wood. The pieces submitted must specify the type, origin and intended use of the wood.
“It’s a nod to ck in the day in agriculture,” Hagen said. “A lot of barns would create wood quilts — quilts built out of wood and put above barn doors.”
She said these focus areas are showing innovation, creativity by leaning into the skills of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
In the past, LEGOs, recycled material and reclaimed wood fell under different divisions.
“I wanted to highlight it for STEAM for homeschoolers, clubs and curriculum — another outlet to show off what they are doing,” she said. “I’m trying to pick and pluck different things going on around the state and nationally within county and regional fairs to intrigue, excite and invite more individuals that didn’t have any participation in fairs in the past.”
In addition, it will create a little gallery of who is doing neat stuff in town in one place.
“I wanted to go back to the roots — Ag Expo and Creative Living — go back to the roots of the life skills — woodworking, pioneering crafts — that is regionally appropriate that people would have done a 100 years ago here. I’m trying to include some of those options into the Expo and bringing new divisions as part of that.”
The Southwest Floria Ag Expo will be held from Feb. 27, through March 9, at the Lee County Civic Center complex, 11831 Bayshore Rd., North Fort Myers.
For more information, visit swflagexpo.com.
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