Over 800 middle school students experience the wonders of science at 2022 Destination STEM hosted by COSAM’s STEM Outreach Center

Where can students go to observe how astronomers see stars through spectroscopy, watch flames dance along a Rubens tube and visit the largest snake in Alabama? Destination STEM, of course!

The STEM Outreach Center in Auburn University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics, or COSAM, hosted Destination STEM on October 20 in the Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, giving students the opportunity to explore an array of fascinating scientific exhibits and introducing them to wide-ranging opportunities offered through COSAM.

Over 800 sixth through ninth grade students from 13 rural Alabama schools joined COSAM and Engineering faculty, staff and students for an exciting day of exploring interactive exhibits and discussing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.

Alan Stern shares spectacular experiences of the first flyby of Pluto at the Annual Duncan Lecture

In 2015, the New Horizons mission was able to obtain images and data that no one has ever seen or recorded before.

Scientists simply could not get an up-close image with intricate detail even with the Hubble Space Telescope.

“We need quality, high-resolution images to understand the origin and evolution of planets,” said Stern.

The New Horizons mission included flash memory drives to record the data, which took 16 months to send the data back.

“Our goal was to arrive within plus or minus 450 seconds of the original plan when the spacecraft left planet Earth,” said Stern. “We were 86 seconds early and the results were spectacular.”

New display showcases “It’s Great to Be a Tiger” at Auburn University

Aubie embraces that “It’s Great to Be a Tiger!” at a display in the Sciences Center Auditorium. 

“This display is a great way to get students to see items from the museum while they are on their way to class or walking through campus,” Jon Armbruster, director of the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, said. “By having this display, more students will be able to learn about the vast array of collections our university maintains.”

Fall Plant Sale

It's that time of year again for our annual Fall Plant Sale! This is the best sale to get the perfect gift for plant lovers and Auburn fans in your life. This is a pre-order only sale. Order forms are due no later than November 4th. Order pick-up dates will be Nov. 16th - 18th from 8:30am - 4:00pm. Details about order pick-up can be found at the bottom of your order form. Payment is due at pick-up (cash, check, or card). 

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COSAM Today is published by COSAM's Office of Communications and Marketing. Questions? Send an email to mcg0052@auburn.edu.