Reno's National Automobile Museum took home several awards at the 2019 National Association of Automobile Museums Competition - one of those for their new STEM education field trip program.  It's a way to get kids interested in the history of the automobile and the technology behind it.

"We like to show them the progression of the advancement of technology," said Museum Education Jenny McFarlane. "So we'll take them to our earliest vehicles and show them how the headlights and the electric starter made a big impact on the industry and on society in general. We take them through all the galleries and show them how things have advanced and where the automobile industry is going in the future."

The program is geared towards third through sixth graders at Title I schools in Washoe County - those that are low income and high need. It's a hands-on program that combines the museum's history with modern technology so students can appreciate the past and look towards the future.

"We hope they get more excited not only about the resources the National Automobile Museum offers but also the science, technology and mathematics involved," McFarlane said. "It's something to get them more involved and excited about those aspects, and possibly something to do with employment and study in the future."

It's been a big hit with teachers and students alike.

"They have loads of fun," McFarlane said. "They love the hands-on materials, they get to play with gears, see how pulleys work and see things not in just in a textbook perspective, they get to do things themselves."

A grant from the Hart Foundation helped make this program a reality.  

For more information about the museum, click here: https://www.automuseum.org/

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