Innovation Week Brings Science to Life for over 1000 OKCPS Seventh Graders

OKLAHOMA CITY ( November 25, 2025) —

A total of 1,048 seventh graders from Oklahoma City Public Schools spent three days at Science Museum Oklahoma participating in Innovation Week 2025, the Oklahoma City Innovation District’s annual hands-on STEAM experience. Supported by 22 interactive booths and 15 sponsoring organizations, the event brought together scientists, engineers, artists, technologists, educators, and volunteers from across Oklahoma to show students how the concepts they learn in class play out in the real world.

As students rotated through activities across the museum floor, many discovered that science wasn’t something reserved for “experts,” but something they could touch, test, question, and enjoy. They saw that what they practice in the classroom shows up in jobs and technologies all around them, and that STEAM careers exist right here in Oklahoma City.

Teachers who attended said the event helped students make connections they don’t always get to see during the school day.

“Students constantly ask why what we learn matters,” said Dana Walker, seventh grade science teacher at Jefferson Middle School. “Here, they see it. Science ties literacy and math together, and you can see the light bulbs turn on.”

Those “light bulb moments” were common throughout the week. At the BioTC and Nikon booth, students swabbed their cheeks, stained their own slides, and viewed their cells under high-powered microscopes.

“This is one of my favorite weeks of the year,” a BioTC staff member said. “Tons of energy, tons of excitement, tons of hands-on STEM activities. We all love and enjoy it.”

At the Rose State College station, students built binary-coded friendship bracelets using 0s, 1s, and aviation-themed beads. “One student was so excited when she saw the binary codes,” said Chelsea Hunt, Director of Grant Development & Programs Administration for Rose State College. “She asked if Rose State teaches coding, and we got to show her exactly how STEAM connects across subjects. She left inspired, seeing how math and aviation can make learning fun.”

Innovation Week also highlighted the often overlooked “A” in STEAM: Art.

Technology and creativity were front and center at the deadCenter Film booth, where students explored virtual reality film experiences, and at the ACM@UCO setup, where audio production students demonstrated Dolby Atmos mixing, sound wave patterns, and the physics behind digital music creation.

“We were busy nonstop,” said Victor Caballero, Director of Education & Outreach with deadCenter.

“Students wanted to watch every VR film we had. VR is film, and technology keeps pulling art deeper into STEAM.”

At the ACM@UCO station, students learned how sound engineering blends math, science, acoustics, and digital tools. “One girl asked, ‘Wait, so you study sound waves?’” said Cindy Moody, a student at ACM @ UCO. “We told her yes, because sound and physics help create every piece of music they hear.”

Across the museum, the STEAM spectrum kept stretching. Students suited up in full gowning gear with Cytovance Biologics, tested a giant Super Mario style Nintendo controller at Science Museum Oklahoma, and blended chemistry and creativity making slime with Thermo Fisher. They practiced drone navigation with Dove Science Academy, explored robotics, prosthetics, and motion physics with UCO Engineering, and engaged with dozens of other hands-on activities designed to make science memorable. A popular stop for many was the City of OKC Stormwater Quality station, where students examined pollution jars, water-flow models, and real code-enforcement tools that brought environmental science into focus.

“We’re raising the next generation of environmental stewards,”

said Hollie Thorne, Community Relations Coordinator for the City’s stormwater quality management division. “It’s exciting to watch students make connections between what they see here and how their city works.”

To better understand the event’s impact, the Innovation District surveyed students, teachers, volunteers, and school staff.

The results were clear:
99 percent of students had a positive experience,

84 percent learned something new, and

95 percent finished the event interested in STEM overall.

Students themselves said:

• “I learned that there are a lot of different STEAM careers.”

• “My favorite activity was seeing my cells in a microscope.”

• “The VR was my favorite because I’ve never done anything like it.”

• “My favorite activity was making slime with my friend.” 

• “I learned that crystals exist in Oklahoma.” 

• “I would change nothing it was so fun and I would honestly come again!” 

These reflections from the students show exactly why Innovation Week exists. When students leave more curious than they arrived, more confident, more aware of future opportunities, and closely connected to their own potential, the event has done its job. Delivering an experience this immersive requires an ecosystem working together, and Innovation Week is built on that shared commitment to expanding STEAM access across Oklahoma City.

Innovation Week 2025 was made possible by a broad coalition of partners across biotechnology, engineering, aviation, digital media, environmental science, higher education, nonprofit STEM programs, and industry. Booths included UCO Engineering, OU Health Sciences Center, Rose State College, Thermo Fisher, deadCenter Film, ClassMatters, Nikon, National Weather Center, ACM@UCO, Wheeler Bio, City of OKC Stormwater Quality, BioTC, Mad Science of Central Oklahoma, OG&E, OSU-OKC Biomanufacturing, OK Talent Network, Rogers State University, SWOSU Pharmacy, OSU CEAT K–12, Cytovance, Dove Science Academy, and Science Museum Oklahoma.

Innovation Week 2025 was made possible through the support of our sponsors, including the Arnall Family Foundation, Mercy Health, Greater OKC Chamber, Presbyterian Health Foundation, Science Museum Oklahoma, Rose State College, Oklahoma Shirt Company, Cortado Ventures, Love’s Travel Stops, Boiling Point Media, Tinker Federal Credit Union, Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas, Nexstep, Beck Design, and the Alliance for Economic Development.

Innovation Week reflects the Innovation District’s commitment to expanding STEAM access, strengthening Oklahoma’s workforce pipeline, and inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers, creators, and innovators across Oklahoma City.