STEM Day Draws High School Students to OBU Campus

OBU hosted STEM Day 2026 on Tuesday, Sept. 22, welcoming high school students to campus for a day of hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

About 560 participants attended the free event on the OBU campus. Students in grades 9-12 rotated through interactive breakout sessions tied to one of four interest tracks: science, engineering/physics, applied science/technology or forensics.

Each student was placed into a small group led by an OBU STEM student upon arrival, then moved together through morning sessions designed to be creative, challenging and hands-on. Activities included measuring the protein content of a milkshake, exploring the microscopic world, uncovering fossils and participating in math activities such as codebreaking. The math activities were designed to show students how mathematics can be applied to real-world problems in fun and engaging ways.

“One of my favorite parts of STEM Day is seeing our students and faculty share their enthusiasm for STEM with our visitors,” said Dr. Contessa Edgar, OBU professor of biology. “Our student volunteers tell me they look forward to the event and I am incredibly grateful to our faculty, who put significant time and effort into making the day engaging and memorable.”

School sponsors and teachers joined student groups throughout the morning or connected with fellow educators before reconvening with students for lunch and the end-of-day program.

The event gave students a chance to explore potential academic and career paths while working alongside OBU faculty and current STEM students.

For more information about STEM programs at OBU, visit okbu.edu/programs.