SparkTruck, a Kickstarter-backed project that was the brainchild of some Stanford University graduate students who wanted to get kids excited about science, will be at the University of Central Florida from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4.
The revamped ice cream truck hauls around high-tech toys such as 3-D printers, laser cutters and scanners, and makes all these gadgets available to children to use for a few hours during its stops.
Children in fourth to seventh grade are the prime target of the nonprofit group and the goal is to get students excited about inventing, trying, and, if failing, to try again. That approach often leads to scientific breakthroughs and technological innovation.
The UCF College of Education and Human Performance, the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville and LEGO are sponsoring the visit at the main campus. This is the truck’s only Orlando visit this year.
The truck and its creators garnered national attention in 2012 when it made a 14,000 mile cross-country tour hitting 73 locations in 33 states and reaching 2,697 students. The response was so positive that the truck began a second tour earlier this summer.
The truck will be in parking lot B1 between the Teaching Academy and Millican Hall. Guests attending the event can park for free in lot B3 across the street from the Teaching Academy.
For more information, contact Richard Sloane at rich.sloane@ucf.edu [1] or 407-823-2465.