Atlanta Science Festival Launches With Celebrate STEAM at Georgia Tech

Noah Ortiz was particularly interested in a display on coronal discharge. Ortiz’s mother, Tiffany, said she had a hard time “dragging him away” from several demonstrations throughout the event. (Photo: Audra Davidson)

Though he may only be in sixth grade, 10-year-old Noah Ortiz has some big goals in life. 

“There are three things I want to be. First, a genetic engineer, second, a world-class soccer player, and third, I want to be a president because I want to end homelessness.”

Noah was just one of the many young minds inspired at Celebrate STEAM: Atlanta Science Festival Launch at Georgia Tech.

“He’s been interested in genetics lately and talks about wanting to end lupus,” said Noah’s mom, Tiffany, who has lupus herself. Wanting to encourage her son’s enthusiasm, Ortiz was drawn to the event at Georgia Tech. “If he wants to explore genetics one minute or nanos the next minute, here he can explore all of it and see what sticks.”

The event kicked off this year's Atlanta Science Festival, an annual two-week festival with events across Atlanta. Bringing more than 5,000 attendees to campus, it showcased 68 live demonstrations in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM).

“Georgia Tech is committed to fostering a culture of curiosity and discovery in our community, and events like Celebrate STEAM play a key role in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and artists to achieve great things,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. “We’re proud to host and excited to see how the Atlanta Science Festival will continue to influence future innovators in our city.”

This was 10-year-old Rowan Hatchett’s (right) first time on Georgia Tech’s campus. She described the event as “cool,” and “fun,” and her favorite demonstration was controlling a robotic arm. (Photo: Audra Davidson)

On Saturday, March 8, six buildings across campus buzzed with activity during Celebrate STEAM, where people of all ages explored everything from virtual reality and robotic arms to city planning and real human brains.

“We did a demonstration about water filtration that the kids loved, and they got to learn about the different sizes of particulates and clean water,” said James Cheatham, who attended the festival with his wife and 3-year-old twins. “We live not too far down the road and are always looking for those opportunities to get the brains moving — what better place than Georgia Tech to do that.”

In one of three talks featured at the event, 13-year-old Jia Parikh even got to see herself as a hologram.

“I think it was amazing,” beamed Parikh, an aspiring lawyer from Suwanee, Georgia, who attended with her family. “I like how we're evolving in life, and I love the fact that people figured out that holograms existed a while ago, but now people are developing it and increasing everyone's understanding about it.”

For many, Celebrate Steam was also a chance to explore new interests and envision future possibilities.

“I loved it! It was so interactive, and everybody explained everything so well,” said 17-year-old Tiara Burkes, who traveled from Columbus, Georgia, as part of a class field trip. “It made me feel like I could consider going here — there’s just so much to do.”

Sean Atitsogbe (center) is a 10-year-old with dreams of becoming a brain and heart surgeon — and his passion for science is already making waves. Known more commonly as “Sean the Science Kid,” his knack for science communication has earned him 1.2 million Instagram followers. Though his enthusiasm often led him to explain demonstrations before the volunteers could, Sean says he would give the event “a standing ovation.” (Photo: Audra Davidson)

What started in 2019 as a small showcase of Georgia Tech’s research in electronics and materials, now the Institute for Matter and Systems (IMS), has grown exponentially.

“This event was started by my predecessor, Quinn Spadola, and IMS Education and Outreach Manager Leslie O'Neill to spotlight the work being done in the IMS. In those days, it was organized by four people,” said Mikkel Thomas, associate director of education and outreach at IMS. “To see what it has grown into, the dozens of people involved in the organization, while still maintaining the overall goal of spotlighting our research to the public, has been amazing to be a part of.”

The number of attendees and demonstrations has continued to increase over the years, and this marks the second year that Georgia Tech has hosted the festival's launch event.

“Georgia Tech is one of our founders, and it feels like we are at home here,” said Meisa Salaita, festival co-founder and co-executive director of Science ATL, the nonprofit behind the festival. “Starting everything by opening the doors to this amazing institution and letting people experience what the science and technology are like here is just the perfect way to begin."