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BSU hosts Engineering & Science Festival

Posted at 6:08 PM, Feb 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-05 19:23:59-05

It's the weekend but that didn't stop thousands of area youth from learning more about science and engineering at Boise State University Saturday.

At age 11, Dillon Houck already has an idea of what he wants to be when he grows up.

"I'm definitely looking into something [a career path] in the STEM field," he said.

For the second year in a row, Houck's robotics team - the High Voltage Coach Bananas - has risen to the top. They will once again represent the state at the national competition in April.

The Engineering and Science Festival hosted by the BSU Engineering Department gave the Eagle Middle School student the chance to spark others interest in robotics where there are plenty of global networking and scholarship opportunities to be had.

"We're just showing kids a little bit about what FIRST LEGO League is about, demonstrating the robot, showing them the project... showing them what they can do in FIRST," Houck said. "And, it's been really good."

With 70 hands-on activities, it was easy for the kids to forget they were learning. If they stick with engineering and science, though, they could have a promising career ahead of them, while at the same time filling a growing demand.

"There are a lot of high-tech opportunities here in the Treasure Valley, and they're great paying jobs," said Leandra Aburusa-Lete, BSU engineering student support. "The industry needs students to go into these STEM fields."

The festival has been going on for 13 years now. This year, 500 people volunteered their time to help make it a success including several BSU students.