UAlbany Welcomes Community for STEM and Earth Sciences Family Day

By Mike Nolan

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 13, 2026) — The University at Albany welcomed hundreds of students and families from across the Capital Region on Saturday for its second STEM and Earth Sciences Family Day.

Held at the ETEC research and development complex, the event featured more than 30 hands-on activities designed to spark curiosity about the environment, weather and climate, engineering, nanotechnology and sustainability.

The event was held in celebration of Earth Day 2026 and hosted by UAlbany’s Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering, the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, the New York State Mesonet, New York State Master Teachers, and partners from NY CREATES-Albany NanoTech and other regional organizations. 

“It’s that curiosity, seeing things like this, that will drive these children to ask the right questions later on and come up with ways to solve problems,” said Rory Glass, regional director of the NYS Master Teacher Program, in an interview with WNYT. “Much of what they’re doing here is very hands-on, but we’re not directing them step-by-step. They get to choose, try things out, and see what happens. They’ll experiment, make decisions, and hopefully carry those ideas with them into the future.”

Highlights included demonstrations of cloud water collection, robotic dogs and interactive stations where participants created zero-electricity toys, Earth Day bracelets and biodegradable bird feeders.

Students had the opportunity to hear from local science professionals, visit the New York State Mesonet operations center, explore UAlbany’s Science-on-a-Sphere room, tour the Atmospheric Science Research Center’s mobile air quality research van and watch a weather balloon launch.

WNYT meteorologist Alexa Dringus was also on site with the First Warning Weather Lab, a mobile storm tracker designed to deliver live weather updates.

Photos by Savanna Stoddart