Origins of STEM…Bring a Kid to a Trade Show.

By: Gary Miller

My late Father left boxes of knick-knacks, and I found this badge. I googled Design Engineering Show Chicago, 1958, and sure enough, it was held at the International Amphitheater near the Chicago Stock Yards. Apparently, he took me to the show. The lower number was my phone number. I was 4 years old.

That’s all it took to bring a kid to a trade show…just sign ’em up and bring ’em along. There are rules against bringing minors to trade shows now. Liability I guess is the question. What a fabulous opportunity though. Can you imagine how wide eyed a precocious youngster might be gazing at high-speed robots and packaging lines?

Why can’t we have kids days at trade shows like this? Can we can bring a teenager? I’m inquiring if I can sponsor a class from my High School and bring them to Automate 2017 this April in Chicago. Maybe we can get the age limit to 16.

I remember nothing about the show, but I’m curious about where my fascination with things mechanical came from. I didn’t go to school for engineering, but remain passionate about the workings of automated factories. Thanks Dad.