Rookery Bay Brings the “BAM!” to STEM Fair

Rookery Bay’s Education Team recently attended the 2026 STEM Fair at JetBlue Park, home to the Boston Red Sox spring training. Almost 1,000 elementary students rotated through hands-on exhibits hosted by eight science, environmental and technology organizations. Rookery Bay was proud to be among them.   The undeniable star of the day was Rookery Bay’s new Vusem Interactive Microscope! It is affectionately known by staff as the “BAM” microscope because of its wow-factor and sheer amazingness. If anything could make kids (or adults) fall in love with science, it might be this microscope. Designed specifically for high-traffic public spaces like the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center and off-site outreach events, this state-of-the-art microscope is as easy to use, durable and powerful.   Students were captivated as they looked up close at plankton, tiny crabs and other marine life living among oyster clusters and mussel shells collected from the estuary waters. The microscope magnifies specimens at high resolution and projects them onto a large screen. This allows entire groups to gather, observe and react together. Gasps and tons of questions followed every discovery.   The event was also a great outreach opportunity for Rookery Bay’s for-credit intern Rey from Florida International University. Rey and the rest of the Ed Team (Sarah, Kennedy, Ryan and Alexia) helped students and showed them how fun STEM can be.   The BAM microscope is now part of the exhibits near the labs in the Environmental Learning Center and is a big draw with visitors. The hope is to add a second unit dedicated solely to field trips and community outreach.