Division staff hosted a booth at the annual STEM Fest held at the Mountain America Expo Center. STEM Fest focuses on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and is geared towards educating 4th through 10th grade students. It is an opportunity to highlight what the Division does through hands-on activities with the goal of inspiring students to pursue higher education and careers in STEM.
This year the booth focused on oil production in Utah. Staff provided oil samples, including black and yellow wax, taken from various sites in Utah. Students could smell and touch the wax, which many kids compared to shoe polish. Core samples were on display to illustrate how scientists locate where to drill for oil. The big hit was two large drill bits used for oil extraction. Students were amazed that the bits could drill through rock and how deep they can go into the Earth.