VSU STEAM Center Invites Community to Interactive Exhibit on Weather March 23

The Art and Science of Weather is a series of interactive exhibits designed to help learners of all ages gain a better understanding of various types of weather phenomena. STEAM Center guests can interact with a 10-foot-tall tornado, touch a cloud, make a rainbow with prisms, become a meteorologist, learn about thunder and lightning, turn a 15-foot-wide Earth to discover the Coriolis effect, and more.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University’s STEAM Center for Applied Creativity and Innovation presents the Art and Science of Weather from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 23. This experience is free of charge and open to the public.

The Art and Science of Weather is a series of interactive exhibits designed to help learners of all ages gain a better understanding of various types of weather phenomena. STEAM Center guests can interact with a 10-foot-tall tornado, touch a cloud, make a rainbow with prisms, become a meteorologist, learn about thunder and lightning, turn a 15-foot-wide Earth to discover the Coriolis effect, and more.

“The weather impacts our daily lives,” says Dr. Brian Gerber, director of VSU’s STEAM Center for Applied Creativity and Innovation. “It helps you decide what clothes to wear and maybe what you will do during the day. Weather can influence our mood, impact our health, and for the many people in agricultural jobs, impact their livelihood. Severe weather, like the recent hurricane Idalia, can disrupt people’s lives because of the destruction it causes. Understanding weather can make an uncertain world a little more certain and predictable for everyone.”

VSU’s STEAM Center team welcomed a group of Pine Grove Middle School students to the Art and Science of Weather Monday.

“I think people should come down here and learn some things,” notes Sean Wright, a sixth grader who hopes to pursue a career in marine biology one day. “It’s very interesting. There are a lot of facts here. You can get knowledge. It’s always good to know something.”

Chloe Wright, another sixth grader, says she enjoyed having an opportunity to leave her usual classroom environment and explore the hands-on exhibit.

“I like how it’s interactive,” she said. “You get to do something. You don’t have to sit there and be still. You get to learn things that you haven’t learned before. It’s fun.”

VSU’s STEAM Center expects to host some 3,000 area students interested in exploring the Art and Science of Weather this semester. However, Saturday is the only time it is scheduled to open to the public this spring.  

“Exhibits like the Art and Science of Weather help people better understand the world around them,” Gerber says “This exhibit encourages people to interact with science, rather than just reading about it or listening to someone talk about it. Active participation and authentic experiences like we have here at the STEAM Center help bring scientific concepts to life.”

VSU’s STEAM Center is committed to developing innovative and creative learning activities that increase interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — while also demonstrating how art plays a central role in driving innovation. It offers summer camps for community youth; field trip experiences for area elementary, middle, and high schools; training workshops that help teachers learn new ways to educate, support, encourage, and inspire the students in their classrooms; and other initiatives that transform lives across South Georgia. It is located at 1302 N. Patterson St. in Valdosta.