NASHUA – The Academy for Science and Design, the state’s largest STEM specialty school , hosted its third SPARK Conference Day of the school year on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

SPARK Conferences (Symposium Promoting Advancement of Real-world Knowledge) are intended to expose our students to various science, technology, engineering and math careers, as well as cultivate their unique interests and talents.

Presenters included members of the ASD school community such as faculty, students and parents, and in addition, presenters come from local community organizations, higher educational institutions and innovators within the corporate sphere.

Popular sessions presented by members of the community included:

“African Drumming” (Marie Mendlow, Nashua Community Music School).

“Glass & Geometry” (Karen Legault and Hans Schepker, glassgeometry.com).

“How an Ultrasound System Works” (Srinadh Godavarthy, Philips Healthcare Ultrasound Division).

“Make Ice Cream with Liquid Nitrogen” (Arthur Keefe, Subzero Ice Cream & Yogurt).

“Mechanical Dissection” (Tina Ouellette, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard).

“The Math of Music” (Dr. Dan Wolaver).

“The FIRST Robotics Competition Experience” (Team 2342 Phoenix).

“The Art of Conflict Resolution” (Raya Fratkina, director of engineering at Catera Commerce).

The students got to choose which sessions they attended, and this SPARK day offered a variety of fascinating topics to explore, such as:

Programming in the Context of the Visual Arts, The Beautiful Science of Creating Food and Beverages, Chinese Tea Culture, Eastern Morals in Arabian Knights, Introduction to Flight Simulators, Crazy Creative Writing Skills, Floor Hockey, Handmade Books, Heart Art, Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Mermaid” vs. Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” Heart Art, The Sinking of the Bismark, TSA Work Session, Valentine’s Cake Pops, ASD Open Mic, The Rise of Cyborgs, Debate: Science or Culture, Just Dance, Valentine’s Day Pop-ups, American Sign Language, Chess and Checkers, “Jeopardy,” A Geographical & Cultural Journey on Skis, A Look to the Future, Global Climate Change, Global Warming, Greenhouse Gases – What is Really Going On? Yoga and Traveling Through History with Doctor Who.

Upperclassmen, along with an adult adviser, had an opportunity to present sessions for the students. These sessions included:

“Digital Filmmaking” (Colin Bewley).

“Tea with the Great Composers: Chopin” (Noah Jacobs).

“Snowshoeing Expedition” (Ian Ayer).

“How to Enslave Computers to do Your Bidding” (Colby Knight).

“Hylian Geography” (Alex Hargrove).

“Introduction to C#” (Darius Grauslys).

Cursive Handwriting (Nicole Beausoleil and Arusha Anupindi).

ASD has a stewardship requirement of 150 service hours in order for students to graduate. All of its students excel at helping others in the community, but the students who ran a SPARK session took the opportunity to share their knowledge with fellow students while also volunteering to help the school offer a larger variety of sessions.

Stewardship supports the theory that the future leaders, when left on their own, will indeed act as responsible stewards of their environment, and it is also about community service. Through various volunteer experiences, students gain a deeper sense of themselves, their abilities and gifts, the needs of strangers (and in this case, fellow students), and their connectedness to the larger world.

The academy is seeking to partner with local companies and businesses for student-centered things such as internships in STEM fields, financial donations and/or presenters for the SPARK Conferences. Financial donations can be the amount of your choice or can consist of underwriting costs for installing a specific facility technology or program.

The academy has two more SPARK Conferences scheduled this year, and presenters from the community are always welcome.

Fir more information, visit asdnh.org or email info@asdnh.org.