There was an electric feel at Munising Middle/High School on Wednesday, April 19. There were also feelings of robotics, physics, body systems and astronomy for the 2023 STEM Science Fair. Over 100 exhibits of science, health and technology were spread out across the school with over 400 people attending and taking part of the event.

“I think it’s going great. I’m pleased with the turn out of both kids and adults,” Munising teacher and head of the science department Mandy Frantti said. “We have things for them to see, things for them to do and things for them to take home. The students worked really hard on this.”

Students got a chance to pick what subjects they wanted to present, ranging from magic with surface tension to Rube Goldberg machines in the copy room. Some projects were showcased on posters and display boards while others had pyrotechnics, robotics displays and an inflatable star lab observatory showcasing constellations.

Frantti said that the projects may start in the classroom, but excel because the students go all in for the event.

“They looked at everything we’ve done all year and pick what topics they have,” she said. “All the students are pretty excited over their topic and it really shows how much fun it is when they’re excited.”

The event only runs every three years, but the last STEM Science Fair took place in 2017 due to the pandemic. Because of the infrequent occurrence, this year’s event overlapped with a publicly-pushed Earth Week. One of the biggest presentations of the week was also held Wednesday, as a car carrier of electric vehicles was parked next to the gym and a presentation given in the library.