Seven year old Sam Phillips was one of approximately 500 students from in and around Snohomish County invited who participated in the first-ever STEM Night at Future of Flight earlier this month.

“It was cool,” he said enthusiastically. “I liked building flashlights, but my favorite was the virtual reality.” Sam’s father, Bob, said the exhibits were so engaging, they stayed nearly four hours.

Parents from all around Snohomish County joined their children as they engaged with people who are building their careers in STEM fields. “Our family enjoyed Boeing STEM night and would love if something similar can happen again soon,” said proud parent Mike Bordas. “We have two girls and it was great to see women engineers so we can say to our girls, ‘you can do that too!’"

The students and their families experienced a range of fun and informative activities related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Boeing volunteers lead more than 30 activities that ranged from operating drones, to virtual reality, to hands on soldering.

Students also mingled with the Dreamlifter team, who shared details about the unique airplane and tools they use to transport parts and assemblies for the 787 Dreamliner, all as one of the massive airplanes offloaded cargo on the ramp outside the building.

Students also were able to join a “Tech Talk” discussion titled “The Inventor In All of Us” presented by PhD chemical engineer and former Boeing employee Diana Klug. “I was honored to give one of the “Tech Talks”, and thrilled by the level of excitement of the children,” said Klug. “It’s great to see the enthusiasm kids have for science and wonderful that Boeing sponsored this event to make that happen.”

STEM Night was also an opportunity for families to see all of the new attractions at Boeing Future of Flight, which continues to be the home of the Boeing Tour, the most popular tourist attraction in Snohomish County, Washington and one of the top attractions in the state, according to state tourism statistics.

By Angie Riley