Cretaceous Creature Enhances Learning at STEAM Learning Center

By Keith Taylor, Allen ISD Web and Social Media Coordinator

THE ALLEN ISD STEAM Center has added a scaly and horned ambassador to greet K-8 students as they enter the facility. The not-yetnamed juvenile triceratops is an animatronic exhibit on loan from Allen’s Billings Productions – The Dinosaur Company.

The ancient reptile welcomes students with a roar and provides an opportunity for learning more about the creatures that roamed the earth 66 million years ago.

“We’re always looking for ways to partner with businesses in our community,” said Larry Labue, Allen ISD’s STEAM Center Executive Director. “Since Billings Productions – The Dinosaur Company is a local business, this is a perfect partnership with the STEAM Center.”

Billings Productions also sees the partnership with the District as a way to expand their local presence and provide a learning opportunity for students.

“We started talking with Billings about a year ago. We had always wanted to work with them but never had the opportunity. When they offered the triceratops, we jumped at the chance,” Mr. Labue said.

Naturally, Labue expects the dinosaur to lend excitement to the elementary and middle school learning experience. “The dinosaur will enhance the educational experiences for our elementary school and middle school students as they learn about the prehistoric environment and the creatures that inhabited the era,” said Labue.

However, the animatronic exhibit can also extend its educational reach to a variety of high school courses. “Our robotics classes recently investigated how the animatronics and pneumatic systems work in the model and they were fascinated by the electronics and movement mechanisms,” said Labue.

“Since we’re a STEAM center, this is truly a great experience for our students,” he said. “We work to connect students to real-world jobs and situations. Billings incorporates so much of what we’re teaching here from design to construction and even robotics. Billings is a prime example of the kind of work we’re training our students to do.”

For its part the Dinosaur Company expects the partnership to grow in the future.

“We are happy to loan our Triceratops to the STEAM Center to teach children about dinosaurs and animatronics,” said Ande Davidson, Marketing Coordinator for the company. “We love sparking an educational interest in paleontology and animatronics when families tour our facility, and we are excited to have the opportunity to continue that education within the Allen community. We can’t wait to see where this partnership with the STEAM Center will lead and will be working with the STEAM Center to update our field trip curriculum to align with the Texas TEKS.”

Labue and Billings also want to expand the experiences of older students and the STEAM ambassadors by working with the company. The STEAM ambassadors are students who conduct tours and activities for members of the public visiting the facility.

“We’re also discussing how our students can become involved with Billings through internships and work programs,” said Labue. “Also, our STEAM ambassadors are looking for ways to help enhance the field trip experience when The Dinosaur Company conducts student tours of its facilities.”

All-in-all, it’s a great way an old dinosaur is teaching Allen ISD students a few new tricks.