Insights

Dayton, Ohio – TechFest 2013, the city’s annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), was held at the David H. Ponitz Center at Sinclair Community College on 16-17 February. More than 3,800 attendees, both young and old, lined the halls of the downtown campus to enjoy a wide variety of hands-on activities, games, and demonstrations from a record number 78 exhibitors.

TechFest participants who visited the Riverside Research exhibit experienced visually rich, student-driven simulations embedded within two modern-era, computer-based electronic textbooks (e-Texts).

“It is always a treat to participate in TechFest,” said Dr. Andrew Shepherd, Collegiate and STEM Programs Manager at Riverside Research. “Kids of all ages – even those still in grade school – were genuinely excited by the college-level concepts in our Remote Sensing and Geodesy e-Texts. Due to the interactive, videogame-like 3D simulations embedded within our e-Texts, students are able to experience firsthand the real-life application of STEM. Regular textbooks can’t make the same connection.”

Also supporting the Riverside Research booth was Shane Cuddson, an Instructor and Instructional Systems Designer within the company’s Education and Training Directorate. “The awestruck reaction to our e-Texts, the other exhibit booths, and the event as a whole reminded me of how my interest in science first began,” said Cuddson. “It’s refreshing to see future generations of our technical workforce show interest at such a young age.”

TechFest is sponsored by the Affiliate Societies Council of Dayton.