SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– From agriculture, to insects, to technology– and almost everything in between.

There were dozens of activities for K-12 students to complete at Sullivan Middle School on Saturday, as part of the seventh annual Wabash Valley STEM fest.

Over 225 kids and adults were signed up for the event, according to Josie Murray, the Sullivan County Purdue Extension Youth Development Educator.

“Our hope today for our kids is they get some inspiration. We want them to leave thinking, ‘I saw something that I didn’t know was possible,’” she said. “We want to expose them to different things that can spark their imagination, that can spark hobbies, that can spark 4-H projects that they can bring and show in the fair. We just want to get them thinking about maybe what they want to do as a job.”

Saturday’s activities included learning about human anatomy, animals, different technologies and much more. Murray said they wanted to have as much diversity as possible.

“STEM is everywhere. It’s in trade jobs, like being a carpenter or plumber, even to being a rocket scientist,” she said. “The more we can expose kids to that, the more they can understand the world, the better off they will be.”

Murray said her favorite part of events like this was watching the students figure things out. 

“The part that I look forward to the most, I’ll quote one of the parents I talked to today, seeing the stuff click with the kids,” she said. “Watching them mess with a computer sensor, and saying, ‘Oh, it does something that I want it to do.’  Seeing them understanding something better is really where I get my joy and fascination.”

Volunteers from the Southwest School Corporation, as well as Sullivan County 4-H, helped make the event possible. Murray said she hopes to expand the STEM fest next year.