STEMerica goes on!

When we were preparing the STEMerica project a couple of years ago, we were inspired by the Maker Faire Zagreb and STEAM Week events that we held annually in Zagreb. The idea, however, was to inspire, encourage and empower individuals, associations and local communities across Croatia to organise similar events and to start joining us in a bigger mission.

And now, a few years later, we are all reaping the fruits of that joint work!

Over the past few days it was an exceptional honour and pleasure for us to take part in the Garešnica Infinity Festival, where the enormous enthusiasm of Margareta Miloš and their team has carried this remarkable event into its third year, and in Maker Faire Slavonski Brod // 16/6/2023 – Dvorana Brod, held for the first time and organised by Tatjana Šoronda and Ivan Matasović within the Slavonika 5.2 project.

The inspiration for writing this piece, however, comes from EKO FEST(IVAL) PETNJA 2023, organised by the INNCRO-IT Association from Slavonski Brod and the Municipality of Sibinj. That event is exactly in the spirit of the original idea behind STEMerica. On the shores of Lake Petnja, on 20 June 2023, the association volunteers, led by Roko Lukenda and Lucija Bašić, organised an event to mark the launch of a smart solar sun lounger. The festival also showcased the development potential of Lake Petnja and hosted a panel discussion on sustainability. The panel was an opportunity to present FabLab projects and activities that contribute to strengthening local communities, such as our work on building the thematic network “STEM as a driver of society”, of which INNCRO-IT is a young member and whose public policy and advocacy work was embodied in everything seen at Lake Petnja. We also had the chance to say something about the Adriatic GreenLab initiative, and to point to the development potential shown by the example of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Education and Innovation, which also presented its BIOPLAnet project at the festival. The highlight was the many workshops – involving, among others, the STEMerica and BIOPLAnet projects – which more than 200 pupils from the school in Sibinj took part in.

We are extremely glad that some of the equipment designed as part of the STEMerica project precisely for events like this – the mobile centre with its van and trailer, along with equipment such as tents, tables and technical gear including cabling and a PA system – served our young colleagues on this occasion. Not only that: equipment and some installations from the STEMerica project were also on show, as well as from the BIOPLAnet project, in which FabLab is a partner.

This only goes to show that the spirit of STEMerica lives on despite the formal end of the project! FabLab and the POI Institute will continue to support similar events, as well as any individuals and associations who express an interest. Our congratulations go to the organisers, and we cannot wait for the next events, already announced during the festival!