Community invited to a Family STEM Fair

The community is invited to a Family STEM Fair next Tuesday, Dec. 5, at Braddock Elementary School in Annandale.

The event, hosted by Lab Rascals in partnership with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, will be 5-7 p.m. at 7825 Heritage Drive.

Lab Rascals is organizing hands-on STEM activities for families, involving virtual reality, gravity experiments, volcano demonstrations, and more.  

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, an umbrella organization that oversees the CIA, FBI, and other federal agencies, will host recruiting stations for high school internships and jobs for adults, including entry-level positions.

The event’s goal is to encourage children and youths, particularly people of color to consider careers in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), says Mariah Phillips, director of operations at Lab Rascals.  

Lab Rascals is a K-5 in-person STEM education program that highlights stories about the accomplishments of people of color, Phillips says.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is participating because intelligence agencies have been seeing a decrease in job applicants from people of color, she says. Their goal is to raise awareness about STEM careers and diversity in the workforce.