ASCENT Program to host all-ages Tech Expo event April 25

The fourth annual ASCENT Technology Expo will take place on Saturday, April 25, at Florida State University Panama City.

“We have Challenger Learning Center coming over from Tallahassee, and they are bringing their big new planetarium, which will be set up in the atrium,” said Suzanne Remedies, Ph.D., the ASCENT interim director. “There will be activities for students of all ages, and it is free and open to the public.” 

The Tech Expo will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Holley Academic Center, 4750 Collegiate Drive, Panama City. Visitors can check out hands-on STEM activities, technology and engineering demonstrations, and much more. Sessions will include bottle rocket building and launching; Ozobots; Minecraft competitions; Robotic Indy Cars; SpheroBots; and an Integrated Tech Club Showcase. Food trucks will also be on site.

ASCENT (Advancing Science and Career Education in New Technologies) is a 10-year, $23 million project partially funded by Triumph Gulf Coast Inc., designed to contribute to the development of a strong, regional workforce in cybersecurity and new technologies. Projects focus on increasing the interest of K-12 students in engineering, computer science, information technology and cybersecurity fields; expanding undergraduate degree programs at FSU Panama City; and delivering training courses and testing to meet the workforce needs of the community.

This year, ASCENT is expanding its reach to include a second Tech Expo in Walton County from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, at the Magnet Innovation Center, 133 Watersound Parkway in Watersound. Expo funding is provided by the St. Joe Community Foundation.

For more information about ASCENT, visit pc.fsu.edu/ascent. For more on the expo, visit teched.fsu.edu.