On April 2, 2025, members of the TC community, as well as educators, students, and family members from local schools gathered in the Smith Learning Theater for our seventh STEAMnasium. STEAMnasium is MST’s annual celebration of all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Spearheaded by Department Chair Dr. Felicia Mensah, this year’s STEAMnasium provided an inspiring space for exploration and creativity and was funded by the Office for Community and Diversity Affairs.
The 2025 STEAMnasium featured eleven stations, carefully crafted by MST faculty with the support of our graduate students. From exploring data science with hands-on tools to designing custom AI models, they did an amazing job bringing innovative ideas to life. Each station sparked curiosity and creativity, empowering the next generation of innovators to dive into the worlds of science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts. The event not only showcased the brilliant work of our community but also provided an inclusive, hands-on learning experience for all ages. Here are a few highlights!
Water Health in NYC
Professor Jessica Riccio’s Water Health in NYC station helped students to explore the importance of water health in New York City. It taught students a few sustainable practices for maintaining clean water and taught educators how these can be integrated into NYC classrooms. Students were able to test nitrogenous pond water and NYC tap water, drop water for 10 seconds and create a ratio to see how much water a leaky faucet would waste, and paint waterways!
Custom GPTs
This station was a demonstration and hands-on assistance in designing and developing custom generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs) for people, designed by CMLTD Lecturer Jin Kuwata and a team of graduate students.The station demonstrated a few custom GPTs, and created the opportunity people to design custom GPTs and publish them! The Custom GPTs station featured a board designed for participants to write words that describe how they like to PLAY, LEARN, and DREAM.
Sidewalk Math
Mathematics Lecturers Rochy Flint and Sian Zelbo’s Sidewalk Math station was about bringing the fun play of sidewalk chalk art to cultivating an inclusive MathSpace for all. This section of STEAMnasium demonstrated that sidewalk math is great for mathematics learning and community building. It is trending as an affordable, creative, and inspiring interactive space that can happen at your front steps.
The Strivers of Onyxia
The Strivers of Onyxia is a prototype VR experience powered by Zoe Immersive, designed by CMLTD Instructor Dennis Morgan. As a determined 9th grader in a stark, two-tone world, players navigated systemic barriers and scarce resources. Inspired by Settlers of Catan, players strategically invested in academic support, mentorship, and financial aid to forge a path toward Onyxia—a distant, Emerald City-like dream. Each dice roll in this game reveals real-world struggles of first-gen and underrepresented students, blending strategy, storytelling, and social impact in a quest for opportunity.
The MST Department is always excited about an opportunity to connect with our communities. We look forward to future STEAMnasiums and hope to continue developing new and exciting ways to engage students, educators, and families.
Learn more at https://steam.tc.columbia.edu/