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Get ready for a STEAMsational event at Niagara Power Vista

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Mon, May 1st 2023 01:25 pm

Know a youngster interested in science and technology? Make a visit to the New York Power Authority’s free “STEAM Ahead” career fair Saturday, May 6, and learn about space, glowing rocks, buried artifacts, the skilled trades, computer programming and more – all at the Niagara Power Vista.

Organizers said, “The event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will give youngsters a glimpse of careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) through fun, hands-on activities, demonstrations and presentations. WNY STEM co-sponsors the event with the New York Power Authority.”

NYPA’s sustainability, Women in Power and Diversity and Inclusion teams will host interactive activities on simple circuits, prize wheel giveaways, electricity city and home energy efficiency games. Take an environmental pledge for a chance to win a science prize. Random drawings throughout the event.

Other stations include:

√ Glimpse the Stars! Have a stellar experience that brings space to life! The Lockport Challenger Learning Center brings its mobile planetarium to the Niagara Power Vista for presentations and hands-on activities on a variety of astronomy and science topics. The planetarium makes celestial bodies appear and move realistically to simulate the complex motions of the heavens.

√ Music. Join environmental artist James Dead – founder of the Green Eye – a unique, solar-powered music group singing about solutions to climate change. The environmental artist and storyteller will also bring materials to share recycling information and creative 3-D printing with recycled plastic.

√ Glowing Rocks Touch Station. Geologist Dino Zack will discuss the fluorescent rock and mineral specimens from New York state, as well as world-known locations. The hands-on, interactive activity will feature a display demonstrating many types of luminescence.

√ Digging for Artifacts! Learn what it takes to be an archeologist and look for artifacts in a demonstrative dig with Dr. Douglas J. Perrelli, director, archaeological survey, at the University at Buffalo.

√ About the trades. The construction field is a rapidly growing one. Build a Home Depot project with NYPA employees, members of the IBEW Local 2104.

√ Plant a seed. Join the Cayuga Island Garden Club in planting a seed in your own take-home pot while learning about indigenous plants and flowers.

√ Rides aboard the Green Express. Take rides on the WNY Trackless Train around the Power Vista circle.

√ Veins and Brains. The nonprofit sector of the Jacobs Institute will showcase its medical innovation center focused on advancing treatment of vascular disease.

Additional exhibitors include New York State Parks Interpretive Center, Girl Scouts of Western New York, Aquarium of Niagara, Buffalo Museum of Science, the Steel Plant of Western New York, face-painting and balloon-making.

Park free at the Power Vista and hop aboard the Niagara Scenic Trolley for free rides between the Power Vista and Prospect Pointe inside the New York State Park in downtown Niagara Falls.

The Niagara Power Vista is a free hands-on science playground at the Niagara Power Project with more than 50 state-of-the-art interactive exhibits. Operated by the New York Power Authority, the visitor center is designed for inquisitive minds of all ages with special emphasis on STEAM concepts and careers. Visitors can experience a virtual rollercoaster, build a dam, operate a power plant, run the state grid, watch digital portraits of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison debate the benefits of alternating and direct current, and enjoy 350-foot-high views from an observation deck above the Niagara River. The Power Vista is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, excluding some holidays, with free parking. It is located at 5777 Lewiston Road (Route 104) in Lewiston. For more information, call 716-286-6661 or visit www.nypa.gov/niagarapowervista.

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