Thousands of students, scientists, and educators are gathering this week at the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C., described as a “celebration of innovation” in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM.
The heart of the festival is a showcase of STEM innovation projects from 103 students from across the United States in what Jenny Buccos described as a “national science fair.” Buccos is a cofounder (along with former MythBusters star Kari Byron) of EXPLR, a STEM education media company that is hosting the event.
The festival is meant to inspire the public and to give students interested in STEM examples of where they might go next in their science careers. “How do we keep them in the STEM pipeline?” Buccos asked. “These kids are super smart, they are innovative, they are problem solvers. How do we give them the opportunities they need?”
“A very public celebration of the work that [these kids] are doing…is a great way for us to communicate to the next generations that this is something our society values,” said Christine Cunningham, senior vice president of STEM learning at the Museum of Science in Boston, who is not involved in EXPLR or the National STEM Festival.
Student Innovators
The student innovation showcase is the culmination of a nationwide competition, the National STEM Challenge, in which students in grades 6–12 design a solution to a real-world problem. This year, students were asked to create projects related to one of six categories: aerospace innovation, environmental stewardship, future food, health and medicine, powering the planet, and tech for good.
Creators of the top projects received an all-expenses-paid trip to the festival and will exhibit their creations. This year’s 103 winning innovations, from students in 47 states and four U.S. territories, include a neonatal incubator that doesn’t require electricity, a prosthetic hand, and a method to detect soil moisture using aerial imagery.
“All of these kids…their projects are rooted in empathy and just wanting to solve problems for other people.”
“All of these kids…their projects are rooted in empathy and just wanting to solve problems for other people,” Buccos said.
Showcasing their innovations to each other and asking questions of one another provide valuable learning opportunities for the so-called student champions. “We know that lectures can be interesting and empowering, but research shows us that students learn best when they’re engaged,” Cunningham said. The festival’s format will “foster communication,” she said. “[Students] often ask more interesting questions of each other than older folks may even think to ask.”
The festival also includes sessions for adult attendees to discuss what they’ve learned from the student innovators. The public is invited to attend the free event, which coincides with STEM Week 2025, a week of events held at libraries, museums, and other STEM organizations nationwide, also organized by EXPLR.
Strengthening STEM Pathways
Buccos and Byron designed the festival to give students the tools to move forward in a STEM career, Buccos said. Sticking with a STEM education and career pathway can be difficult: Teaching STEM is expensive for schools, and not all students see themselves represented in STEM careers.
“One thing that can be challenging for students, particularly those who may not come from families full of STEM people or families who have had higher education experiences, is to understand the vast array of pathways that people can take in STEM,” Cunningham said. “Having an opportunity to see yourself in other folks who are further along in their trajectory” can help kids persist in science, she said.
“We want to capture that curiosity and spark that joy before they self-select out of science, before they say, ‘This is not for me.’”
At the festival, student champions will display their innovations to an audience of STEM professionals and business leaders, some of whom may be interested in working with the students in a professional setting. “I think employers will see a lot of potential,” Buccos said.
The students will also attend networking events where they’ll meet with leaders in their chosen fields—potential mentors who could help them continue to work on their ideas beyond the festival itself.
The effort has borne positive results in the past: More than 95% of students who participated in the 2024 National STEM Festival agreed or strongly agreed that the event helped them to find the right network, resources, or facilities to pursue a STEM education or career, according to a third-party survey given to participants.
Buccos said she hopes younger children who attend the event will be inspired to continue in STEM fields, too. “We just want to get them really excited,” she said. “Particularly for the young people, we want to capture that curiosity and spark that joy before they self-select out of science, before they say, ‘This is not for me.’”
—Grace van Deelen (@gvd.bsky.social), Staff Writer
Citation: van Deelen, G. (2025), National STEM festival celebrates 103 student innovators, Eos, 106,https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EO250106. Published on 18 March 2025.
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