Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology

Redbull Stratos

If you didn't see the Live showing of the RedBull Stratos Jump see it here.

This jump was not only important for Felix Baumgartner, but it also had several scientific discoveries. For example, Felix's fall caused him to travel so fast that he broke the sound barrier. This jump has also helped scientists better understand the human body and what it can withstand. 

This jump was a hug success setting/breaking 3 world records:

First free fall to break the speed of sound, the fall was recorded at 1,342.8kph

Highest free fall at 128,000 feet, and

Highest manned balloon flicht at 128,097 feet

Apple iRing

This concept by Victor Solo, uses bluetooth technology to allow you to control some features of your iPod or iPhone. This ring has a lock feature (to avoid unintentional use), and touch sensitivity that allows you to control volume, the play/pause feature, and skip tracks. 

Northern Illinois University's STEM Fest

Check out this event coming up this October 20th. This event features hands-on activities and exhibits for kids of all ages. It's goal is to provide interest and knowledge in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Similar to our Family Science Day event, this October event features competitions, halloween themed science such as haunted physics and a laser lunacy lab.

Click here for more information on NIU's STEMfest. 

This incredible Recycling Robot will make an appearance at this year's Family Science Day Event. Join us April 13th, 2013 to check it out.

Family Science Day 2013

Given the success of the last two years, we have moved to a larger venue. This years event will take place on Saturday, April 13, 2013 in Redbird Arena at Illinois State University. The event will take place from 1-5p.m. and expects to have even more exhibits and activities than the previous years.

This year, our goal is to attract more of the middle school age demographic with a focus in Robotics. We will have a few different competitions specifically for middle school students to participate in. These competitions include video, fashion, and community competitions. Students can also participate in our STEM challenge course that will be held at the event.

We are also looking forward to having some robotics demonstrated to celebrate the national robotics week. Including a recycling robot and much more. Students in the Arts Technology Department will also be providing us with a technology showcase featuring interactive exhibits and/or activities that demonstrate how technology can be used in modern settings such as gaming, web, and more. 

Also new this year, we are excited to have the World-renowned Museum of Science and Industry from Chicago come to our event. They will be giving live demo shows and providing hands on exhibits.

Benjamin Mee

Family Science Day 2012

Over 1,200 people attended our second annual Family Science Day that was held as part of Siblings weekend on Sunday April 22. 2012.  Since the event took place on Earth day, our event focused on the theme of sustainability and energy conservation.

With more than 80 exhibits, including NASA speaker Jim Simek, the St. Louis Science Center, and a transportation showcase that included everything from classic cars to electric and solar vehicles. We were proud to showcase these classic vehicles along side alternative fuel vehicles of today such as the Chevy Volt (offering the opportunity to test drive), the Nissan Leaf, the Mitsubishi “I”, and the Tesla roadster.

Family Science Day 2011

Over 1,400 people attended the first annual Family Science Day event that was held on Sunday April 17th, 2011. Over 50 exhibitors participated in this event, which included segway rides, State Farm Research Development Center, the Mitsubishi “I” electric car, NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow, an antique steam engine tractor, and much more.

Family Science Day

 One of CeMaST’s signature events, Family Science Day has been a huge success. The event was developed as a way to educate and inspire pre-K through 8th grade students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by encouraging scientific discovery through the use of hands-on-activities, displays, and demonstrations. CeMaST organized this event in partnership with the Children’s Discovery Museum and the Challenger Learning Center.   

Family Science Day 2011

Family Science Day 2012

Benjamin Mee author of We Bought a Zoo 

Expanding Your Horizons

Purpose

The Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conference is an annual, fun-filled day intended for girls and boys in grades 5 through 10, and their parents and teachers. The conference is held on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal, IL. Stevenson Hall serves as conference headquarters. Most workshops are held in other campus buildings within a short walk of the Stevenson. Students will be escorted by ISU students.

Some of our goals are...

to act as mentors and role models for women and young people by providing support, encouragement, and assistance in the development of their careers in science and mathematics (science and mathematics are defined to include all fields in the physical, biological, behavioral, medical,technological, and social sciences)

to create an atmosphere of active communication, support, and assistance among women pursuing careers in science and mathematics

to foster further development of their professional skills

Destination Imagination Tournament

Destination ImagiNation, Inc. is an extraordinary non-profit organization that provides educational programs for students to learn and experience creativity, teamwork and problem solving. Every year, it reaches 100,000 students across the U.S. and in more than 30 countries. Destination ImagiNation is an exhilarating after-school activity in which students work in teams to solve mind-bending Challenges and present their solutions at Tournaments. Teams are tested to think on their feet, work together, and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the Challenges. Participants gain more than just basic knowledge and skills—they learn to unleash their imaginations and take unique approaches to problem solving.

Visit http://idodi.org/index.php/team-support/videos for more videos and information about Destination Imagination.

Bugs for Kids: Interactive, Hands-On Learning

Bugs for Kids is a partnership between The Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (CeMaST) and the Department of Biological Sciences at Illinois State University. We believe that we can capture students' interest in biology and foster science education by using interesting, charismatic insects. We provide free educational programs for local schools and community groups.

About the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper

The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Romalea microptera, is the largest grasshopper in America. It inhabits the southeastern United States and is particularly abundant in the Florida Everglades area, because that natural area has not yet been destroyed by human development. This grasshopper is unlike other grasshoppers in that it is poisonous to most predators. It feeds on poisonous plants and stores the poisons in a gland above the middle legs. When it is attacked by a predator, it squirts the poison out, with a noisy hiss, producing a bad odor and a bad taste. It also produces a second type of poison that is kept inside the body. Birds, lizards, and alligators that try to eat lubbers get sick and vomit due to the poison. After that, they avoid eating lubbers. Many insects and some mammals are immune to the toxins. Lubbers are generally harmless to humans – they can only harm you if you eat them. Lubbers use bright colors (e.g., the nymphs are black with red or yellow stripes, and the adults have bright red hind wings) to warn predators that they are poisonous. Because they have few predators, these grasshoppers have evolved to be calm and docile, and can grow to a larger size and invest more energy into reproduction.

The Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers used in the Bugs for Kids Program are docile, flightless, and slow moving. They will sit calmly on one's finger, and can be fed by hand.

About the Decorated Cricket

The decorated cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus) occurs in tropical regions throughout the world. Like many insects, male decorated crickets offer females a courtship food gift at the time of mating. This gift comes in the form of a spermatophylax, which is a large, jelly-like ball attached to the spermatophore. Shortly after mating, the female bends at her abdomen and removes the spermatophylax with her mouthparts, leaving the sperm-containing ampulla attached to her. When the spermatophylax has been eaten, the female bends again and removes the sperm-ampulla, eating it as well.

Hoppin’ Around Town

The Bugs for Kids staff presents free educational programs at numerous schools, community events, and workshops in McLean County including the following:

Bloomington Public Library

Children's Discovery Museum

Expanding Your Horizons Conference, Illinois State University

Family Science Day, Illinois State University

Katie's Kids Learning Center

Local K-12 schools (including McLean County Unit District No. 5 and Bloomington Public School District 87)

Thomas Metcalf School

Sugar Grove Nature Center: Our Lubber Grasshoppers made an appearance at multiple events including the South Olympia Elementary Nature and Science Field Day.

Unity Community Center: Summer Enrichment Program.

Worldwide Day of Play & Uptown Block Party, Normal, IL

You never know where we might hop to next!

Illinois State University Alumni Events

The Illinois State University Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (CeMaST)promotes excellence in the teaching and the learning of science, technology, and mathematics education at Illinois State University. The primary goal of CeMaST is to pursue and support projects and activities that seek to improve the teaching and learning of science, technology, and mathematics. In support of these goals, CeMaST hosts a number of Illinois State Alumni events for those in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. A number of the alumni events target urban STEM educators in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS).   

Recent Alumni Events

Illinois State University Alumni Reception: Chicago Area Science, Mathematics, and Technology Teachers—April 7, 2010

Illinois State University Alumni Reception: Science, Mathematics, and Technology Teachers in Chicago Public Schools—May 6 , 2010

CeMaST facilitates a number of outreach programs in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. These projects for students, faculty, and the general public are aimed at encouraging participation in STEM activities and careers and in raising the profile of Illinois State University as a STEM oriented university.

Alumni Outreach and Events

CeMaST hosts a number of Illinois State Alumni events for those in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. A number of the alumni events target urban STEM educators in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS).

Bugs for Kids

Bugs for Kids is a partnership between CeMaST and the Department of Biological Science at Illinois State University. We believe that we can capture students' interest in biology and foster science education by using interesting, charismatic insects. We provide free educational programs for local schools and community groups.

Destination ImagiNation Tournament

Destination ImagiNation, Inc. is an extraordinary non-profit organization that provides educational programs for students to learn and experience creativity, teamwork and problem solving.Destination ImagiNation is an exhilarating after-school activity in which students work in teams to solve mind-bending Challenges and present their solutions at Tournaments. Teams are tested to think on their feet, work together, and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the Challenges. Participants gain more than just basic knowledge and skills - they learn to unleash their imaginations and take unique approaches to problem solving.

Expanding Your Horizons

The Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conference is an annual, fun-filled day intended for girls in grades 5 through 10, and their parents and teachers. The conference is held on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal, IL. The Bone Student Center on the ISU campus serves as Conference Headquarters.

Family Science Day

Family Science Day is a public outreach event to educate and inspire students in fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Our goals for the Family Science Day are simple: to stimulate an excitement and interest in science in elementary and middle school children and their peers, to get parents involved in the educational process, to provide hands-on experience in science learning, and to raise awareness of the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in our society.

Girl Scouts Badge Workshops

CeMaST is proud to offer a variety of badge workshops for girls to obtain their girl scouts badges. Check out the current badges we offer, and our schedule of workshops! The cost is just $7.00 per girl, and you will receive your badge at the end of the workshop!

Illinois State University High School Research Symposium

The Annual Illinois State University High School Research Symposium, sponsored by CeMaST, invites high school students to share their original work in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology. This is a poster presentation event that provides them with the opportunity to share their research with an audience of ISU professors, ISU students, and other Illinois high school students.

Illinois Summer Research Academy

The Illinois Summer Research Academy is held on the campus of Illinois State University (ISU). High school students spend a week with ISU professors and other high school students from across Illinois working on various hands-on research projects. Students are introduced to current research projects ISU faculty are working on and are exposed to the tools and techniques that are being used to accomplish this research. Students then make contributions to these research projects and/or worked on their own research projects with their peers.

Solar Car Challenge

The American Solar Challenge is a competition that involves the designing, building, and operating of solar powered cars in a cross country race. Illinois State's Team Mercury competes in the American Solar Challenge yearly. The 2012 race will run from New York to Minnesota with a total of 16 cars competing to finish first.

STEM Virtual Tour of Illinois State

CeMaST Mission

The mission of the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (CeMaST) is to stimulate, conduct, and support integrative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education activities and scholarship.

CeMaST Goals

CeMaST’s Goals are aligned with Illinois State University’s strategic plan, Educating Illinois 2008-2014: Priorities for Illinois’ First Public University. The Illinois State University campus community is committed to the pursuit of learning and scholarship, individualized attention, public opportunity, diversity, and civic engagement. CeMaST contributes to these core values by pursuing and supporting scholarship in STEM education for all students. In addition, CeMaST seeks to build on its stellar record; of quality achievements in meeting the demand for leadership in curriculum, service, and research related to the integration of mathematics, science, and technology in education.

Goal 1: Stimulate and support activities and research on teaching and learning that align with campus, state, and national STEM priorities.

CeMaST pursues and supports the development of funded activities and research that promote the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In addition, CeMaST strives to help shape campus STEM priorities by promoting the state and national STEM agenda to further educational innovation and research. This goal aligns with Educating Illinois 2008-2014: Goal 2.

Goal 2: Provide leadership to and foster cross-disciplinary collaborative STEM activities and research on teaching and learning.

CeMaST strives to support connections between disciplines on campus as they pursue STEM activities and research. In addition, CeMaST fosters connections between all educational levels from K-12 through graduate school and between academia, industry, and professional societies. This goal aligns with Educating Illinois 2008-2014: Goal 3.

Goal 3: Direct efforts to increase the diversity of STEM communities.

CeMaST has a long history of pursuing projects that encourage and assist individuals within underrepresented groups in attaining excellence in STEM fields. CeMaST is committed to continuing these efforts. This goal aligns with Educating Illinois 2008-2014: Goal 1.