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Hill Science Center Comes Alive for STEMposium 2026

All three divisions came together on April 14 for the 4th annual STEMposium, a dynamic celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at EA. This year's event highlighted the work of 80 Upper School students, nine Middle School students, and four Lower School students, whose independent research projects reflected a wide range of interests and disciplines. Interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, and contributions from classes, clubs, and extracurricular groups rounded out the experience.

"Our 4th annual STEMposium was terrific, and I hope the students are proud of themselves. I know we are!" said Stone Family Science Department Chair Katie Colyer. "This year, we had over 120 student presenters—our biggest event yet. The research projects spanned grades 5-12, and it was amazing to see such a range of topics and interests. The students are so passionate about their work, and it was a great showcase!"

STEMposium 2026


Spanning all three floors of the Hill Science Center, STEMposium invited the EA community to engage with student work across a broad spectrum of topics. Projects explored areas such as artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, biomedical research, engineering design, and behavioral science, underscoring the depth and variety of STEM learning at EA.

Alongside student presentations, several featured exhibits offered opportunities for hands-on exploration, including an up-close look at the Robotics team's work, dissection demonstrations, gardening activities, club-led stations, and a fossil collection from the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Outside the Hill Science Center, Lower School students created bubble wands, adding a playful and interactive dimension to the day while reinforcing early scientific discovery.

In the afternoon, Middle School students rotated through grade-level STEM stations designed to encourage collaboration and critical thinking. The 6th graders investigated water distribution on Earth before competing to build the most efficient water filtration systems on the Clark Campus Green. The 7th grade students split their time between science and engineering challenges, creating seed balls with native plants and sun prints, and building tennis ball towers with limited materials. Meanwhile, 8th graders participated in a math problem-solving competition and worked together as a "human algorithm."

The organization of this year's STEMposium was guided by a dedicated committee of faculty members. Thank you to Dr. Colyer, Lower School Science Teacher Catherine Bennett, Hon., Upper School Science Teacher Cheryl Cossel, Upper School Science Teacher Jenn Jones, Computer Science & Engineering Chair Matt Memmo, Hon., Upper School Math Teacher Tracy Motley, Middle School Science Teacher Laura Mullan, Lower School Science Teacher Adam Murray, Upper School Science Teacher Carrie Nielsen, Upper School Science Teacher Grace Rohr, Middle School Math Teacher Allison Schultz, Hon., and Upper School Science Teacher Ron Smith for making it an unforgettable day of learning!