KC Counts talks with Erika Acosta, Pre-k 12 STEM instructional outreach specialist, and Dr. Rick Marlatt, Dean of the College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation, which is hosting Learn-A-Palooza. Here is a transcript of their conversation:
KC Counts:
Erica, why don't we start with you? just give us an overview of what Learn-A-Palooza is.
Erika Acosta:
Absolutely. So Learn-A-Palooza is a community event that highlights STEAM plus exploration for all families, starting with the youngest of kids. It also highlights community resources, really diving into hands-on fun STEM learning for kids and bringing community together so that they can explore NMSU in general.
KC Counts:
Dean Marlett, why don't you talk a little bit about some of the goals of Learn-A-Palooza?
Dean Rick Marlatt:
Absolutely. So Learn-A-Palooza really has become one of our signature events in the college. Part of our social transformation arm in our college is really serving that mission of making sure that we're being present with the community, offering outreach and engagement for community members, especially when we're talking about K-12 students and their families. and the opportunities to bring them to campus. NMSU has so many amazing programs, facilities, spaces, and people to share with the community. And we're really looking at this as an opportunity to interact with future Aggies. And so getting kids on campus, many of them, this may be their first time being on campus, we're bussing in - I think we're up to 15 buses that we've been able to book thus far. So bringing kids in from all across southern New Mexico, bringing their families, letting them have a taste of a Saturday on campus. We anticipate a beautiful Saturday this coming Saturday on the 8th. And, you know, we're tying it in with Ag Day, tying it in with the homecoming parade and all the festivities and of course the football game. at 2 P.m. And so this is just an opportunity to celebrate NMSU, to celebrate the beautiful campus that we have and the amazing opportunities that these students have now to get to know kind of what is out there in terms of what could be waiting for them when they reach that time when they can enter the college spaces. But if nothing else, we're here to serve the community. We're here to offer opportunities for engagement and outreach, and that's what this is all about.
KC Counts:
Erica, what age of kids are going to benefit from Learn-A-Palooza?
Erika Acosta:
Kids of all ages. So we have activities specifically tailored for very young children, pre-K, early childhood students, where they're doing more interactive water coloring, and we have face painting. We have these really fun caterpillars, which kids do early coding with - caterpillars and robotics, and we also have lots of activities for your elementary, your middle school students, and then your high school students can explore NMSU's eSports lab, for example. We have Professor Baboom who's doing a really fun interactive science presentations for kids of all ages. And then really just thinking about these wonderful experiences that kids can have with their families so that they can have a shared experience they can talk about when they go home. A lot of times kids have wonderful exploration at school. They come home and mom says, “hey, what did you do at school today?”
KC Counts:
Nothing. I remember.
Erika Acosta:
And wouldn't it be amazing for them to have that shared experience where they can say, “oh my God, I can't believe you were holding that caterpillar” or, you know, they were messing with this rocket and it went higher than mine. And those exploration experiences where they can just engage and have fun together.
KC Counts:
So where does it all take place?
Erika Acosta:
So the event this year starts with ASNMSU parade, which is off of University, and then it kicks off on the outdoor stage behind Corbett Center. And we'll have indoor and outdoor events throughout Corbett Center, mainly on the third floor in the ballrooms, and then extending all the way out on the outdoor stage leading to Ag Day, which is also happening on Saturday. Really, we wanted to highlight the rich agriculture that happens in STEM. Sometimes we forget we're a rich ag community here. And so that A in STEAM is very important. So families can go all the way down to Ag Day and explore those activities as well.
KC Counts:
Dean Marlatt, you touched on something earlier about getting kids onto campus. Maybe you can kind of speak to what that means for some families who, with kids still today, that will be first generation college students.
Dean Rick Marlatt:
Absolutely. I can't say enough about the STEM Outreach Center and the college. I mean, they are champions for out-of-school time. They're champions for STEM opportunities and just hands-on learning. And they bring it to communities. We invite communities here to campus. It goes both ways. And so having them kind of lead this and champion this Learn-A-Palooza event is, to me, perfect. because they do this multiple times a day throughout the week. They're going out on weekends. They're taking their stem trailer out to communities. And so we bring these opportunities to families. And this is kind of a nice opportunity for us to invite families here. And again, at no cost, just a chance to play. and to learn and to discover. And so that's what, to me, is the power of this event. And we're so excited about it.
KC Counts:
You mentioned the game at 2. This event goes from 9 to 1?
Erika Acosta:
Yes, the event kicks off at 9 with the parade. The sessions start at 10 to 1 and then the football game is at 2. And we'll have over 900 free tickets to give away to families who are wanting to go see the Aggies defeat Kennesaw State.
KC Counts:
Let's hope! It's Homecoming after all.
Erika Acosta:
Why not?
KC Counts:
All right, what else do you think is important for people to know about Learn-A-Palooza on Saturday?
Dean Rick Marlatt:
I want to thank the enormous campus-wide support that we continue to get for the signature event. So we have a number of sponsors who are helping us, and we couldn't be more grateful for their support. So the Board of Regents has offered significant support, as has the College of Arts and Sciences. And so I'm very excited to offer these opportunities. And we have a number of programs and units across campus who will be tabling and sharing information with families. So everybody from academic units to service units, to student organizations, and the different clubs that we have on campus. Everybody's going to kind of be out in full force, really showing kids and families what NMSU has to offer, and we couldn't be more excited about it.
KC Counts:
Erika, how many people can this event accommodate?
Erika Acosta:
That is a wonderful question. So last year, we were expecting about 1000 participants, and we had well over 25 people attending. We were able to accommodate...
KC Counts:
Over 2500?
Erika Acosta:
Over 2500 people. 2,500. And so this year we're prepared for about 3,000 people. We welcome anybody who wants to come join us. We have pizza, and drinks for families. You don't have to spend any money, but there will be food trucks available if you want some. And just come hang out and see what NMSU has to offer.
KC Counts:
Anything that we've left out that you think is important for people to know?
Erika Acosta:
I think when we think about family, really just embracing the role of grandparents and tios and the cousins and friends who are family. And what a beautiful opportunity for all community to come together and see that we are a family here at NMSU. and that we are part of the community. So we really want the students to see NMSU as part of their community and the people who care about them and who are just embracing them so that they can be well-rounded people and see themselves here at NMSU.
KC Counts:
Erika Acosta and Dean Rick Marlatt, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate you spending it with us.
Erika Acosta:
Thank you.
Dean Rick Marlatt:
Thank you.
