The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) will welcome more than 5,000 Arizona students and their families this Friday as part of the fourth annual D-backs Science of Baseball STEM Showcase, presented by Chase and Insight. The main concourse and upper level at Chase Field will be filled with Arizona youth who are learning more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math through a unique program that will be highlighted throughout the ballpark.
Throughout the ballpark this Friday, fans will be able to visit interactive exhibits and meet with experts in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Exhibits include a robotic dinosaur from the Phoenix Zoo's "Dinosaurs in the Desert" exhibit, giant replica planets from the Challenger Space Center, a reptile petting zoo from the Phoenix Herpetological Society, several high school robotics teams, and much more. Volunteers from Chase and Insight will distribute STEM Showcase maps at the gates. More than 80 schools have taken part in the D-backs Science of Baseball program this year with 2,000 students and teachers participating in a pregame STEM parade on the field. Each of the pregame parade participants will receive a free D-backs Science of Baseball T-shirt, compliments of Chase.
As part of the STEM Showcase a Megaraptor from the Phoenix Zoo, in coordination with their upcoming exhibit "Dinosaurs in the Desert," will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Introduced in 2013, the objective of the D-backs Science of Baseball program is to promote STEM through classroom theory and practical applications of the sport of baseball. A university research-based curriculum was created that includes fifteen lesson plans that get kids engaged through interactive principles of the game of baseball. Taught by Science of Baseball Founder, University of Arizona Professor Ricardo Valerdi and engineering students, the curriculum will include classroom activities (demonstrations, films and clinics), athletic activities (drills, scrimmages and coaching) and take-home activities at the appropriate level for the targeted age groups.
This season, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and Science of Sport provided free D-backs Science of Baseball training for more than 100 Arizona teachers. For more information, visit dbacks.com/scienceofbaseball. Before the game, Chase and the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation will present 10 STEM clubs and teachers with a $2,500 grant to support their projects, totaling $25,000. The list of recipients can be found below.
Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and Chase STEM Grant Recipients (Name of School--Town--Program/Project)
Cactus High School--Peoria--Robotics
Combs High School--San Tan Valley--Nursing
Desert Vista High School--Phoenix--Solar Car
East Valley Institute of Technology--Mesa--EMT Training
Echo Mountain Intermediate School--Phoenix--STEM MakerSpace
First Robotics Launch Team #6352--Peoria--Robotics
George Washington Carver Elementary--Yuma--ActivPanel
Paradise Valley High School--Phoenix--Teaching Robot Project
The Odyssey Institute--Buckeye--Mobile Social Lab
Show Stoppers--Ehrenberg--4-H Club