21st Century Equipment unveils mobile STEM lab

MITCHELL — A new program through 21st Century Equipment combines hands-on learning with the classroom, and it is mobile.

21st Century Equipment held an unveiling event at the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds today, Dec. 5. 

Owen Palm, CEO and founder of 21st Century Equipment, said in the month the program has been active, the trailer has been taken to nine schools and 318 students have experienced the program.

"The primary purpose of this project is to inspire interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) opportunities by exposing students to these things earlier in their educational journey," Palm said.

Palm said the trailer was finished on Nov. 1.

The program is funded in-part by a $125,000 grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development under their Developing Youth Talent Initiative (DYTI) program.

Within the trailer are workstations that can be used in place or detached and moved into the classrooms as needed.

"Pretty much anything is modular, so we can pull it inside," said Jason Stratman, director of learning and leadership.

 Stratman said while the trailer, 40 feet in length, is heated and air conditioned, when the weather is too cold, stations can be moved inside. Workstations include a Soils Lab, Electrical Lab, TopoBox, Drone Simulator, Simulators, FarmBot Robotic Planter, AutoTrac Enable X300 Lawn Tractor and Solar Power Electrical Generation Demonstration.

Each station has an opportunity for tasks uniting the hands and mind: plotting the effects of water flow in varied terrain; testing and understanding pH, permeability and analyze various soil types; understanding the effects of water flow as terrain changes; practical applications of drone use in agriculture; experiencing a self-driving lawn tractor and the possibilities it could hold; and operating farm equipment via simulator.

The program is focused on seventh and eighth grade students.

 Leyton School District has already taken advantage of the program.