CAREER-SPARK STEAM EXPO

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Left to right: Nick Werries, Courtney Lercher, & Hannah Tomlin.

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In the month of April, AIM had the opportunity to participate in the third annual CareerSpark STEAM Expo at the Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, April 14-15. The two-day event welcomed more than 1,800 eighth graders from 26 schools across Illinois, and they had the opportunity to stop by nearly 60 different booths. The STEAM Expo gives students the opportunity to explore careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) in an exciting and interactive way. Students can directly engage and discuss with professionals while interacting with the displays and demonstrations that the different exhibitors and agencies bring to share with the students.

Participating at the AIM Illinois booth, we had Scott County Conservation Planner Courtney Lercher and Sangamon County Conservation Planner Nick Werries, along with Soil Health Outreach Associate Hannah Tomlin. Describing how the tabletop rainfall simulator works, Hannah said, “This demonstration showcases the difference that cover crops make in preventing soil loss and improving water infiltration. One sample had cereal rye growing in soil that had not been tilled in over 16 years. The other was bare, conventionally tilled soil. When you pour water over the top, simulating a rainfall event, you can see the difference in the amount of soil runoff between the two samples. While quite a bit of the bare soil washed away, the cover crop sample remained intact quite well.”

Conservation Planner Courtney Lercher shared, “Many students were able to grasp the concept right away and came up with several benefits the cover crops provide on the soil before I even presented all the facts to them!” She added, “Most students already had an understanding of the concepts we were explaining- soil loss and erosion- but it was clear that they were able to make a new connection to these concepts and see how it can impact real life.”

Overall, it was an amazing opportunity to engage and interact with students, showcase a career in the field of agriculture, and illustrate the importance of conserving soil to protect farmland for the future. Explaining the impact of the AIM Illinois booth, Courtney said, “I had many interactions with students that didn’t know jobs like ours were out there. A lot of the students seemed to have a passion for protecting the environment and working in a field like this

The most memorable interaction that comes to mind was with a student who spoke with me about their family's farming operation. They didn’t plant cover crops yet, but they asked a lot of questions about what types are available, when to plant them, how to plant them, and how to terminate the cover crops before planting season.”

We are very grateful for the chance to share our work experiences with the future generation, along with information about different opportunities in the field of conservation agriculture. AIM Illinois has participated in the CareerSpark STEAM Expo each year since it began, and we hope to continue our involvement as an exhibitor in the future.