Northern Illinois University will host its 16th annual STEM Fest featuring past, present, and future technology on Sept. 20 in DeKalb.

STEM Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at the NIU Holmes Student Center, Swen Parson Hall, MLK Commons and Founders Memorial Library.

Attendees can launch weather balloons, build electrical circuits, drive robots, try “air drawing” technology and apply math concepts to an educational web game. NIU alumnus J.A. Allen, Ed.D, will demonstrate how cartoon-based learning models help communicate complex ideas.

The festival also will feature a BookLab, a hands-on space dedicated to exploring books technology, history and future. Participants can learn how a working Common Press replica works explore the historical lead type. The lab’s hands-on activities include playdough cuneiform writing and smaller BookBeetle printing presses.

“The BookLab is an exploration of the past, present and future of writing,” NIU professor of English Nicole Clifton said in a news release. “How did writing happen before computers or phones? Even though the printing press is different from our current digital technology, you can see how typesetting from several hundred years ago still influences our digital books and word processing today, and even the words we use to talk about fonts and manuscript design.”

Attendees will be able to explore modern technology displayed in the NIU Office of Innovation’s 71 North Partnership Studio. Participants can experience educational video games, view virtual reality technology demonstrations by NIU students, and learn about methods used to communicate complex ideas.

“We’re hosting a range of different hands-on activities that show how technologies from writing to video games to virtual reality technology help people communicate,” NIU innovation ecosystem development assistant director Federico Bassetti also said in the news release. “Students from our NIU Innovation Club, Burmese Student Group, Indie Game Developers and other student organizations will share their interests and expertise.”

NIU Huskieverse students will demonstrate different virtual reality simulations developed as class projects. Attendees also can learn how to write Burmese characters from the Burmese Student Group.

Meta also will return to hold a “Be Pro Be Proud” mobile workshop. The workshop features virtual reality simulations for various skilled trades including robotics, welding, and plumbing.

For information, visit go.niu.edu/stemfest.