Velocity Center Hosts STEAM-Powered Community Festival

The weather may have been cool and damp, but inside the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Velocity Center at Indian Head on April 12, things were heating up with science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics at the fourth annual Art of Innovation STEAM Festival.  

More than 200 community members attended the free, family-friendly event, and spent the day exploring their creativity and curiosity, through interactive exhibits, engaging demonstrations and live musical performances.   

“It is so important to give children access to a broad scope of STEAM programming at a young age,” explained Lesley Quattlebaum, executive director of the Velocity Center. “Including the arts is important, because often individuals who do well in technology have a creative side to them. One of the things we are trying to do with this event is to help our children see what that looks like; we talk about it, but to make it into a hands-on experience makes it so much more approachable.”  

Families used solar telescopes for a detailed look at the sun with the Southern Maryland Astronomical Society, took a virtual tour of the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary, and got hands-on experience assembling electronic components with the Charles County Amateur Radio Club in the CSM Makerspace. They enjoyed visits to the Charles County Public Library’s Mobile Discovery Lab, heard performances from CSM musicians, and even met live reptiles at a herpetologist demonstration.  

Leonardo Da Vinci is credited with saying, “To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”  STEAM education brings that advice into the 21st century, helping students to build the creative problem solving, critical thinking, and connection-making skills they need to succeed. CSM’s Velocity Center is a hub for this future-facing way of thinking.  

“I received great feedback from attendees today,” Quattlebaum shared. “The community seems to really value this event, and many of our partners are repeat ones that come annually in full force and are always excited.”  

The Velocity Center will continue to offer a variety of engaging programs to the public throughout the spring. Later this month, Troy A. LeMaile-Stovall, CEO of TEDCO,  will present an “Innovation @ the Velocity Center” lecture sharing his insights on innovation, investment, and global entrepreneurship. The center’s Makerspace offers memberships and classes that give local makers the knowledge and tools they need to bring their ideas to life. And this May, the Velocity Center will host Spark! Places of Innovation, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program that dives into innovation and invention happening in rural America.  

For more information, visit https://www.csmd.edu/about/locations/velocity-center/index.html.