IEEE Educational Events

STEAM TEAMS: Training for SNAP Circuits and PhET Simulations
STEAM TEAMS: Training for SNAP Circuits and PhET Simulations 150 150 ieeeeduweek

The IEEE Pikes Peak Section STEAM-TEAMS Monthly Meeting for June will focus on a special two-session introduction to Snap Circuits and PhET Interactive Simulations designed to help prepare volunteers, students, parents, and future mentors for the 2026 Cool Science Carnival Day and Festival events scheduled from October 3 through October 18, 2026.

This session is part of a larger effort to build a sustainable and scalable STEM outreach pipeline through hands-on learning, mentorship, and community engagement. Participants will experience how physical Snap Circuits activities can be combined with PhET simulations to help students visualize invisible engineering and science concepts such as current flow, switches, LEDs, motors, conductivity, logic, and photonics principles.

Unlike previous STEAM-TEAMS meetings that focused primarily on general outreach coordination and introductory demonstrations, this June session will place greater emphasis on instructional preparation, guided demonstrations, and volunteer readiness for large-scale public STEM engagement during Cool Science events.

Topics and Activities Include:
• Hands-on Snap Circuits demonstrations
• Guided PhET simulation activities
• Connecting physical circuits with virtual simulations
• STEM outreach strategies for families and K-12 students
• Volunteer preparation for Cool Science Carnival Day
• Building mentorship and leadership through STEM activities
• AI-assisted multimedia concepts for future outreach support

This June session is intended to serve as the first of multiple follow-up training and preparation sessions leading into the October Cool Science events. Additional sessions will continue to expand demonstrations, volunteer coordination, mentorship opportunities, and educational content development throughout the summer and early fall.

The IEEE Pikes Peak Section continues to explore ways to make engineering education more visible, interactive, and family friendly while strengthening leadership development through mentorship and community service.

Reference:
Snap Circuits STEM Outreach Resource:
https://r5.ieee.org/pikespeak/snap-circuits

Previous IEEE vTools Event Example:
https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/556262

May STEAM TEAMS Meeting: AI-Assisted Multimedia, PhET Sims, Photonics/Microcontroller Demos
May STEAM TEAMS Meeting: AI-Assisted Multimedia, PhET Sims, Photonics/Microcontroller Demos 150 150 ieeeeduweek

Join us for an evening of recognition, mentorship, hands-on learning, and community connection at the next IEEE Pikes Peak Section STEAM-TEAMS Monthly Meeting.  These meetings are in preparation for the 2026 Cool Science Carnival Day and Festival, Oct 3- Oct 18.  Ideally, because of the 8000+ visitors and 100 booths at UCCS last year, we want to have 36  S.T.A.R. (STEAM-TEAMS Ambassadors for outREACH) volunteers/mentors to donate one-hour of their valuable time during this 6-hour event.  This will allow time to have these volunteers visit the other booths with their families.  If anyone would like to contribute in their talent in other ways such as digital marketing, AI-assisted multi-content for short 2-5 minute tutorials on technical topics, social media marketing, fashion, digital and social media marketing, and other logistical support, please let Dr Santiago know at [email protected]

Monday, May 18, 2026
5:00 PM – 6:15 PM
21st Century Library. ENT Conference Room
1175 Chapel Hills Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920

 

This month’s meeting is a special opportunity to bring together IEEE members, student members, families, guests, and past and present volunteers for an evening of learning, recognition, and community connection.

We will be recognizing our 2025 STEAM-TEAMS participants with challenge coins as a small token of appreciation for the time, service, and encouragement they have given to others through STEM and STEAM outreach.

We will also share a brief AI-Assisted Multimedia, PhET simulations,  Photonics/Microcontroller Demos as a fun introduction to these topics for the Sep-Cool Science Festival and Fair.

This gathering reflects something we deeply value in the IEEE Pikes Peak Section: building not only programs, but people. Through mentorship, hands-on learning, and community engagement, we continue working to make leadership more welcoming, more visible, and more meaningful for the next generation.

If you are interested in:

  • STEM and STEAM activities
  • mentoring students and young professionals
  • family-friendly engineering outreach
  • growing leadership through service and encouragement

we would be glad to have you join us.

Website: https://r5.ieee.org/pikespeak

#IEEE #IEEEPikesPeakSection #STEAMTEAMS #STEM #STEAM #Mentorship #Photonics #EngineeringEducation #FamilyFriendly #VolunteerLeadership #CoolScience

April STEAM TEAMS Meeting: Challenge Coin Recognition and Sample Light Snap Circuits Demos (Photonics)
April STEAM TEAMS Meeting: Challenge Coin Recognition and Sample Light Snap Circuits Demos (Photonics) 150 150 ieeeeduweek

Join us for an evening of recognition, mentorship, hands-on learning, and community connection at the next IEEE Pikes Peak Section STEAM-TEAMS Monthly Meeting.

Monday, April 27, 2026
6:00 PM – 7:15 PM
21st Century Library. ENT Conference Room
1175 Chapel Hills Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920

This month’s meeting is a special opportunity to bring together IEEE members, student members, families, guests, and past and present volunteers for an evening of learning, recognition, and community connection.

We will be recognizing our 2025 STEAM-TEAMS participants with challenge coins as a small token of appreciation for the time, service, and encouragement they have given to others through STEM and STEAM outreach.

We will also share a brief Light Snap Circuits demonstration as a fun introduction to photonics, along with updates connected to the Cool Science Festival and Fair.

This gathering reflects something we deeply value in the IEEE Pikes Peak Section: building not only programs, but people. Through mentorship, hands-on learning, and community engagement, we continue working to make leadership more welcoming, more visible, and more meaningful for the next generation.

If you are interested in:

  • STEM and STEAM activities
  • mentoring students and young professionals
  • family-friendly engineering outreach
  • growing leadership through service and encouragement

we would be glad to have you join us.

Website: https://r5.ieee.org/pikespeak

#IEEE #IEEEPikesPeakSection #STEAMTEAMS #STEM #STEAM #Mentorship #Photonics #EngineeringEducation #FamilyFriendly #VolunteerLeadership #CoolScience

“Why Would Engineers Show Up at a Park on a Sunday?” Looking for 4-6 Volunteers
“Why Would Engineers Show Up at a Park on a Sunday?” Looking for 4-6 Volunteers 150 150 ieeeeduweek

Because five minutes with a curious kid could change a life—and the future of engineering.

Join IEEE Pikes Peak and the STEAM-TEAMS initiative for a high-impact outreach opportunity at the Filipino-American Independence Day Celebration on Sunday, June 15th, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Fountain Creek Regional Park.

We’re looking for 4–6 IEEE volunteers to help lead hands-on STEM demos for K–12 students and families—from solar-powered salakots to rubber-band-powered jeepneys and glowing Philippine flag circuits.

This isn’t just a cultural festival. It’s a proving ground for:

  • Making engineering relevant and fun in underserved communities

  • Practicing engineering leadership through community impact

  • Inspiring the next generation of problem solvers—one curious question at a time

Whether you’re mentoring, managing, or measuring outcomes—this is a chance to engineer more than systems. It’s a chance to engineer trust.

Dr. John Santiago
Webmaster/Past Section Chair, IEEE Pikes Peak Section and Region 5 Educational Activities Coordinator (REAC)


📧 [email protected]]  🌐 https://r5.ieee.org/pikespeak

 
 
 
 
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