STEAM exploratory activities
STEAM Laboratories
Arthropod expedition
Biology-Chemistry Laboratory
In this activity, we invite you to a micro-world expedition, where you will get to know the small terrestrial crustaceans – woodlice. Did you know that they breathe with gills, even though they live on land? That they enjoy moisture, but not water? That they have the ability to molt their skin and curl up into a ball when they feel threatened?
In this investigative activity, you will experiment with different microenvironments, explore crustaceans through microscopes, and observe the structures of their molts, as well as the hidden world of colours and shapes invisible to the naked eye. You will also learn more about animal classifications, anatomy, organisms’ adaptations to the environment, and ecology. In addition, you will try out different chemical substances, discover their properties, and understand how light spreads.
Creating musical instruments with microcontrollers
Physics-Engineering Laboratory
In this activity, you will explore why the human body can act as a conductor and find out how our energy can be used to transmit signals. Did you know that an average adult body can generate up to 200 W of energy – enough to light a couple of electric bulbs or power a small electronic device?
In the laboratory, using various materials and your own body, you will create electronic musical instruments. By exploring sound waves, electrical conductivity, and energy transformations, you will investigate how sound is born from an electrical impulse. Get ready to hear what kind of electronic sound your body can produce!
In this activity, you will learn more about different types of energy and their transformations, electronics and microcontrollers, the human body, the properties of sound, as well as controller programming and the transmission of data and signals.
Thinking Mechanisms
Robotics-IT Laboratory
In this activity, you will rely on your engineering skills to build robots and take part in a technological survival mission. A real-world scenario – warehouse logistics – will become a programming challenge: the robot will need to pick up, transport, respond to obstacles, and find the optimal solution within a limited time.
Using sensors, logical algorithms, and mathematical navigation, you will explore why even a small mistake can change the entire outcome. Will the movement work as planned? Will the trajectory calculations withstand real-world conditions? Can you overcome the challenge when your only helper has no heart, but code?
In this investigative activity, you will learn more about algorithm design and programming, data processing and analysis, and the application of digital solutions in the real world. You will also delve into the creation, testing, and improvement of technological systems, while developing your spatial thinking skills.
3D Mission: From Shape to Object
Smart City Laboratory
In this activity, you will work with visual, modeling, and digital programs to create characters, objects, and even game scenes. You will be able not only to animate or use your creations virtually, but also to print them, turning your ideas into tangible objects. Here, creative design will be just as important as technological skills.
Did you know that 3D models are already being used in surgery, cultural heritage restoration, architecture, and even space exploration? Have you ever wondered where creativity ends and responsibility begins?
You will learn more about creative and technological design, materials and forms, the impact of technology on humans and the environment, and the creation and testing of prototypes. You will also develop your creativity and skills in using digital creation tools, while expanding your knowledge of digital ethics and copyright.
Astrologists’ Mission: Traces of Life
Biology-Chemistry Laboratory
Where do the boundaries of life end? Can life exist only under conditions like those on Earth, or could it adapt to cold, extremely salty water, or acidic environments?
In this hands-on research activity, students will become astrobiologists seeking an answer to one of humanity’s greatest questions: are we alone in the Universe?
Using samples from diverse environments, participants will conduct tests to examine how different conditions affect the activity of living organisms. Young researchers will discover extremophiles capable of surviving where life seems impossible. Gaining insight into how scientists explore the limits of life and plan the search for biosignatures on Mars and other celestial bodies.
Computer Network Detectives
Robotics-IT Laboratory
The internet is down: websites won’t load, computers can’t talk to each other, and nobody knows why. Is it an incorrect IP address, a faulty router, a broken physical link, or maybe the DNS server? The students’ mission is to track down where the problem lies and restore connectivity.
In this workshop, participants will get hands-on with the core principles of computer networking and explore key network devices – switches, routers, and servers. They will discover why IP addresses are necessary and how devices discover each other on a network, how data travels, and what roles TCP/IP protocols, domain names, and DNS play in the process.
Theory alone won’t solve the mystery – using real diagnostic commands, students will troubleshoot network failures, analyze traffic flow, and fix the issues. Can they follow the digital breadcrumbs to identify exactly where the connection broke?
Optical Tweezers and Laser Levitation
Physics-Engineering Laboratory
Is it possible to grab a particle without touching it? As it turns out, light alone can do the trick. An extremely tightly focused laser beam can act like an invisible pair of tweezers – moving and holding microscopic particles precisely in place.
Through hands-on experiments, interactive demonstrations, and data analysis, students will explore wave-particle duality, photon momentum, radiation pressure, diffraction, interference, and laser beam focusing.
Drone Missions in Space
Smart City Laboratory
How do you fit massive solar panels into a spacecraft where every single centimeter is worth its weight in gold? Origami holds the answer. The Japanese art of paper folding has inspired engineers to design structures that can be compactly folded during launch and later deployed into huge solar arrays powering satellites in space.
In this educational workshop, students will learn how artificial satellites operate, why solar energy is vital to their missions, and how origami principles have become an essential part of modern space technology. Participants will fold their own solar panel models, then use drones to execute a symbolic satellite launch mission, watching their engineering solutions come to life.
Program intended for: students in grades 7-12
Duration – 90 minutes
Registration – steam@mokslosala.lt
