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About the Festival

What Is iMAGINE STEAM?

The iMAGINE STEAM & Innovation Festival is designed to showcase PreK-12 education and career pathways in Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEAM) through fun, hands-on learning for families from across Lexington, Richland, Calhoun, Orangeburg, and Aiken Counties. The festival will engage companies, schools, and nonprofits in providing exciting, interactive STEAM learning exhibits for PreK-12 students and their families. The purpose of the festival is to ignite the interest of students in STEAM learning and career pathways. This exciting event will take place in April in downtown Columbia at the South Carolina State Museum. It will feature hands-on activities, interactive demonstrations and family-oriented STEAM entertainment. The iMAGINE STEAM & Innovation Festival is an initiative of South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics and Science (SCCMS) at Clemson University, SCETV, and the South Carolina State Museum and SC State Museum Foundation.

The mission of the iMAGINE STEAM & Innovation Festival is to create meaningful experiences that promote a culture of lifelong learning and career readiness with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), innovation, and entrepreneurship for Lexington, Richland, Calhoun, Orangeburg, and Aiken Counties in South Carolina.

The Issue

In South Carolina and across the nation, business leaders are struggling to meet the current and projected demand for jobs in STEM. Companies will not invest in a community unless they are confident that they can find the talent they need to stay competitive. Only 26% of South Carolina students are graduating with the degrees and certification necessary to obtain these jobs. Students' lagging performance in K–12 math and science, particularly among minorities, is a critical reason why.

The Solution

The good news is that effective programs like iMAGINE STEAM Festivals are beginning to fill in the gaps in the STEM pipeline in South Carolina. iMAGINE partners with major South Carolina employers to identify high demand career pathways and showcase them to a new generation of innovators in exciting ways. Through interactive learning experiences, iMAGINE STEAM Festivals spark the imaginations of PreK-12 students and fosters their aspirations to pursue 21st century STEM careers.

Program Goals

Celebrate STEAM, innovation, and entrepreneurial activity in the Midlands region.

Promote PreK-12 education and workforce development with an emphasis on student readiness.

Raise awareness and educate students, families, and professionals about STEAM career opportunities in Lexington, Richland, Calhoun, Orangeburg, and Aiken Counties.

Ignite an interest in STEAM for PreK-12 students and cultivate lifelong learning through hands-on experiences that connect to 21st century careers.

Increase opportunities for under- represented groups and promote equity in STEAM education and careers.

Explore the world from new perspectives, identify challenges and apply knowledge, skills, and inventive behaviors to developing new solutions

 

iMAGINE is a program of South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics & Science (SCCMS) at Clemson University.

The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
Creating a rich environment for students to develop excellent technical skills and a broad set of abilities that position them as the intellectual leaders of tomorrow.
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SC's Coalition for Mathematics and Science
South Carolina's Coalition for Mathematics and Science
Working together everywhere that STEM matters to address STEM education challenges in our State through partnerships, advocacy and public engagement.
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