Culture
Free ‘Hour of Code’ invites young learners to gain hands-on experience with STEM skills and tools
By: Emily Votaw
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CHAUNCEY, Ohio (WOUB) – Young learners from across Southeast Ohio can dive into coding, robotics, and digital design this Sunday at Hour of Code, a free educational event happening from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Athens Meigs Educational Services Center (21 Birge Drive).
The event is part of the global Hour of Code campaign, a Computer Science Education Week initiative led by computer science education nonprofit Code.org aimed at expanding K–12 access to STEM education. In Athens County, the Hour of Code is co-organized by WOUB Public Media’s Learning Lab, Ohio University’s Appalachian Semiconductor Education and Training (ASCENT) program, and the Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery.
The event features hands-on activities tailored to different age groups. Young children will experiment with tools that introduce logic, sequencing, and problem-solving through play. Middle and high school students will program drones, operate robotics systems, and gain experience with hardware such as Arduino microcontrollers.
ASCENT Project Manager Christopher Quolke said these experiences help students understand how the skills they learn today can translate into high-tech career opportunities tomorrow.
“We provide hands-on, contextual experiences because simply telling students about careers [in STEM] is insufficient,” Quolke said. “They need to be able to work hands-on with technology and equipment to learn if that may be a good pathway for them.”
Ohio University Professor of Instruction Mark Lucas, a longtime STEM outreach organizer and board member of the Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery, emphasized the event’s emphasis on experimentation and resilience.
“The open-ended activities also teach kids that many things won’t work the way you expect them to the first time,” Lucas said. “They learn to step back, think again, and most importantly, try again, as they work to solve problems in these kinds of activities. Those are great lessons for a lot of life!”
Lucas said many participants arrive believing coding is beyond their abilities, but often leave with a new sense of confidence and empowerment.
“As they start to dive in, they realize it’s not as hard as you think to get started and there’s a real sense of accomplishment when you get something to do what you wanted it to,” he said.
Organizers hope participants walk away recognizing that STEM-oriented skills touch a wide range of interests — from art and storytelling to gaming and engineering — and that every learner, regardless of background, is capable of learning how to use those tools.
“STEM learning can look differently for different learners,” Quolke said. “But it helps people to answer questions they have about how things work and what kinds of problems they could solve with STEM tools.”
Families may arrive at any time during the three-hour event and explore at their own pace. No prior experience is required, and registration — while encouraged — is not necessary to attend.