Maryland STEM Festival

two people run through a tower of plastic cups
Participants in the Germantown Cup
Challenge on November 6
The first Maryland STEM Festival is going on right now (November 6–15) and MCPL is proud to be participating! The purpose of the STEM Festival, as stated on its website, is to provide “inspiration, educational, and accessible programming in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) throughout Maryland.”

To that end, the Festival has gathered information about STEM events happening around the state into a central calendar where members of the public can look for events of interest happening near them. "The Festival," the website says, "provides STEM opportunities to all of Maryland without requiring them to travel significant distances."

group of four people surrounded by colored lights
Participants at a previous Light
Painting event at our Olney branch.
MCPL is excited to be offering STEM Festival events for all ages at multiple locations around the County. Events range from LEGO® and Duplo® building events for young children to chess clubs for older children and adults. The Wheaton branch will welcome FutureMakers for two light-painting events for teens and tweens on November 12. We are also excited to offer two special events in cooperation with Goddard Space Flight Center, Hurricanes and Clouds and Precipitation, both at the Aspen Hill branch on November 14.

STEM is a key part of our ongoing programming, especially for children and teens. Customers are also encouraged to drop in anytime to explore our STEM stations for children. Caregivers and children can also take advantage of our Go! Kits, which provide a mini-iPad, books, and specialized toys to explore selected STEM themes. Go! Kits are available for two ages of children: Little Explorer kits are intended for ages 3–6 and Young Voyager kits are designed for kids in grades 3–6.


STEM is an important and growing field that touches every aspect of modern life from entertainment to communication to medicine and beyond. We are excited to work with the Maryland STEM Festival in their goal to “give Maryland a vibrant STEM economy to make us a national leader in the 21st century economy.” Please join us!

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