High School Student mentors students and organizes Virtual STEM Fairs

Adlai E Stevenson High School sophomore, Shreekar Earanti, launched the Virtual STEM Fair initiative in March 2020 and has conducted four Virtual Stem Fairs during this pandemic to help 6th-8th grade students across the USA advance their STEM research and presentation skills.

These students had the opportunity to choose a topic, research, create a presentation, and finally present their topic in front of many people. Dozens of students from all across America have presented in a Virtual STEM Fair, and over a thousand students have watched as well and gotten inspired to participate more in STEM. Shreekar has received many great responses from students and parents alike regarding the fantastic experience it was to go through the whole 5-week process to present.

During this 5-week process, students would begin with choosing a topic which they are passionate about. And throughout this entire process, they are directly mentored and guided by Shreekar. Once they choose a topic, they learn how to research effectively and in-depth as preparation for their own research. And once the students complete their research, they are then mentored by Shreekar on how to create a compelling presentation. And taking this newfound knowledge, the students develop an amazing slideshow which they will use when presenting their topic.

Shreekar not only mentored students to present. He also mentored selected past presenters to become a mentor for new presenters. Through this experience, students got an opportunity to present and also gain leadership experience and skills.

Shreekar has been organizing these live events on ZOOM and YouTube Live, and many professors have delivered unique guest speaker messages in Shreekar's Virtual STEM Fair. They have all had great things to say about the initiative and the importance of conducting these Virtual STEM Fairs. Guest speaker's messages inspired presenters and audience.

Shreekar says he became interested in bringing this opportunity to other students. When he was younger, he had opportunities to present and talk about various topics at conferences such as Maker Faires or SIT Conferences. And because of the pandemic, such events had to be canceled, and no such online events were created. And due to his passion for STEM and desire to help out in the community, he started this Virtual STEM Fair initiative to fill that gap, allowing students to present STEM topics and others to learn more and get exposure to STEM.

To learn more about Virtual STEM Fairs or to present in future events, please visit www.stemfairs.com or email stemfairs@gmail.com.