Tauranga STEMFest - Annual Report 2025

20 June, 2026

Our researchers and students showcased materials science at Tauranga STEMFest in September: Principal Investigator Associate Professor Matthew Cowan (Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury), Associate Investigator Professor Martyn Coles (Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington - VUW), and students Shivangi Chourasia (Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University) and Mereana Rooy (VUW).

STEMFest is a pop up style event attended by over 10,000 participants. The development of physical resources has paid off, as shown by the incredible interest that kids aged from 5-15 (and their parents!) showed in being able to assemble their own fuel cell to power hydrogen cars across the floor in between the legs of passersby. The audience was extremely diverse, and the only constant was the genuine and charmingly naïve enthusiasm and interest shown by the children.