Tag Archives: steam fest

Performances & Trips, Student Posts

STEAM 2018 My experience

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I had completely forgot about STEAM until the Thursday before. But thankfully, our group was prepared as we already had our cardboard cut out from when we did the Days of Rage Project. I was excited to see the other projects from other Seminar 1 classes not only from Brooklyn College, but from the other Macaulay campuses as well. Would they too present about Days of Rage or something completely different?

I was really amazed by seeing everyone else’s projects. Some of the most memorable ones was the mannequin one. An ITF told me that the group had some problems setting up the mannequin and that the head even rolled of once.

Another project that I was really amazed by was a 3D-book-like story about Seminar 1. It summed up all the trips taken by the class, including Carmen—which our class saw too (This group was representing City College if I’m not mistaken). It was interesting to the similarities in the trips and experiences other classes had—and the differences too. One Barauch Seminar 1 class got to visit Grand Central Station, which I have never been too, despite me living in New York City for so long.

 

The Seminar 3 projects were overall interesting. It was cool to see what Ill be doing next year.

 

Something that could be improved is perhaps the Maker Lab. The Maker Lab was fun so it took up a lot of time, but we were limited to only 2 buttons/keychains/zipper pulls. Also, it did get a bit disorganized, but I did get to make a cool keychain, so that was fun.

 

Future Macaulay Seminar 1 students: STEAM is fun! And interesting too! You get to meet other Macaulay students and see what they learned. Also: free cookies and soda!!!

ITF Posts, Student Posts

STEAM FESTIVAL 2018

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I was a little salty, to be completely honest, that on my birthday weekend I was going to be waking up and going to present a project. Still, I knew that it was going to be fun seeing everyone and peers from other schools. So, I woke up and put on my best jeans for the fun.

I wasn’t disappointed. It was honestly, so much fun. I love events that culminate and celebrate students’ work, and the STEAM Festival was that a little more too. I saw my friends’ in the Seminar 3’s work, and it was so nice to be see an example of something I could accomplish next year. I saw friends from other schools, and everyone had such interesting projects about individual ideas. I asked a lot of the Seminar 3 students how they came up with their projects, what their sophomore year was like. It was nice to see what Seminar 1 was like for everyone else as well. I asked Seminar 1 students what their Macaulay class had been like (we all loved the opera), how they came up with their projects, and more. I also made new friends too. I think the event is a really nice way to bring students together and enjoy something they were able to cultivate.

And the Maker Space???? I mean????? So much fun. I made a magnet for my wall, and my friend who I was seeing after that. Everyone in the Maker Space had a completely different energy. It was like a intensive arts and crafts workshop, where determination to find the best print was HIGH.

That being said, I do feel one thing could have been a little different. Nobody really knew where anyone was. In the beginning, it’s a little weird to leave your room, it might’ve helped to have a little poster, or give everyone a little paper with what’s going on in each room. I would have loved to see every room, but I only ended up seeing about 2. Other than that, the STEAM festival was fun, exciting, and cute – I can’t wait to go again next year.

Student Posts

STEAM Festival A letter to incoming Macaulay students

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Dear future seminar 1 students,

Many of you will find that despite being in Macaulay, it is often difficult to make time out to go to the Macaulay Honors College building especially if you live far or simply forget to make the time out to go. The STEAM festival was a great opportunity to be able to explore the building as well as getting to see students from other campuses. It was a wonderful experience where we all showcases our projects that we had made in our respective seminars. My group and I presented our project on the women’s right movement over the years to both seminar 1 and seminar 3 students. We showed them our cutout of the women’s symbol and the collage of pictures both black and white and in color as well as pictures of our own where we demonstrated our advocacy towards the movement. Once we had presented as a group, we decided to separate while some of the group members continued to present and the rest of us would take turns to look at other projects. The ITFs helped us to locate other projects and at the conclusion of exploring each room full of projects, we would be given a stamp in our tiny booklets. While seminar 1 students focused mainly on the events we had gone to such as the opera or topics we discussed in class like monsters and movements, seminar 3 students focused on the sciences. It was interesting to see a variety of topics and creative projects at the STEAM festival. A couple of my personal favorites includes a video in which a nightmare was depicted and another was an interactive project that allowed you to hear the various sounds and sights of New York on a laptop. My favorite part has to be the makerspace. While it was very crowded and disorganized, the beauty of it was that no one knew what they were doing so we talked amongst each other in order to make little magnets, zippers pulls, and bookmarks. The STEAM festival was a unique and wonderful experience which helped to create bonds between Macaulay students from different campuses which may have otherwise not been made. I truly hope that you too would be able to experience this festival and get a chance to make new friends of your own.

Sincerely,

A fellow Macaulay student

Gulshan Ashaque

Student Posts

STEAM Festival 2018

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The STEAM Festival 2018 was an enjoyable experience that far exceeded my expectations. It was a great opportunity to destress before finals week, unlike what I originally thought (I thought it would be a fair where students are being judged on the creativity and originality of their projects). Contrary to my expectations, the ITFs and the supervisors at the Macaulay Building infallibly created a friendly atmosphere where all students were welcomed and equally encouraged to discuss their projects. Students from various CUNY campuses were making lively chats, getting to know each other and talking about their experiences as Macaulay students. Visitors often asked about the content and the inspiration behind the project and the process of preparation. One of the most notable projects that caught my attention was one done by Seminar 3 students in which the presentation was in the form of a tree; the trunk had images of urban scenes in the city containing impressive architecture of tall buildings alongside swarms of people and cars combined with characteristic green leaves comprised of images of nature taken at the heart of the city. This reflects the diversity of scenery in New York City and provides a snapshot of the vivacious setting that is characteristic of New York. In addition to witnessing the passionate spirit of the students who participated in the festival, I really enjoyed spending time at the makerspace. I enjoyed interacting with other students and sharing creative ideas about the different items that were there to make. I was impressed by some of the crafts that my fellow students made and enjoyed making my own. The only thing that I wish could been different is the willingness of some students to explain their projects instead of letting me explore for myself and the ability of some ITFs to keep us engaged and invested in targeted thoughtful conversations. Overall, the STEAM Fest was a positive experience and is a great event that in my opinion, enhances bonds between Macaulay students and provides a great, fun learning opportunity.

Student Posts

Steam Festival

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I really enjoyed the steam festival. It was great being able to see other students from campuses and what they had to do for their seminar. Although I felt it was a little disorganized since I did not know if we could go and visit other posters or where other seminar groups were presenting, I thought it was fun. I enjoyed the idea of stamps and also the creative bar (my key chain and bookmark turned out great.) I found it nice to talk to the upperclassmen in Seminar 3 since I got a chance to see what I might be doing in the future.

Student Posts

STEAM Festival 2018 Student Post

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I truly enjoyed my time at the STEAM Festival. Both presenting and listening to presenters was thrilling. When explaining my project, a comparison of 70s rock and modern rap, I provided each of the visitors with a detailed, but brief overview of my group’s project. I initiated my speech by stating what the purpose of our two props, the microphone and the guitar, was. I divulged how each genre of music serves as a declaration of a revolution among youths. I then described what each genre is specifically fighting for. For example, I explained that 70s rock was attempting to find an end to the Vietnam War, while modern rappers are fighting for black-lives-matter, women’s rights, and multitudes of other causes that are ailing our world today. I also discussed how the lyrics of each type of music are a vital aspect of spreading their message among the crowds. Throughout my entire speech I was quietly playing rock music in the background.
Throughout the entire experience, I especially was amused by the fact that everyone who entered the room, where our project was set up, made a beeline at one point or another to listen to my elevator speech. I really enjoyed the conversations I sparked with several of the visitors, most of whom, much like me, are interested in rock. Thus, for me the presentations were the most exhilarating moment.
With regards to the other projects, I was unable to view too many because the time allocated to me was near the end of the entire experience. However, amongst all the projects I was astonished by all the projects completed by the Macaulay Hunter students: they created trailers for movies. I was mesmerized because some of the trailers truly looked as though they had been done professionally. The time and effort that it took these students to create a plot for their trailer and afterward to record it are astounding.