In 2024, Debbie Pessein introduced a new concept for a Science Fair to the Georgetown Steam Plant. It was an vision rooted in reimagining the traditional Science Fair as something immersive and alive. Grounded in community engagement and celebration, she embraced the evolving educational acronym STEM → STEAM → SHTEAM integrating Humanities as the essential bridge to address modern challenges and the human experience.
At the heart of the Science Fair is relationship-building. Through intentional outreach to SHTEAM enthusiasts, local artists, educators, scientists, youth leaders, makers, and community advocates, the event cultivates an intergenerational tapestry of participation. The atmosphere is deliberately electric. Blending the high energy of a music festival with the visual dynamism of a contemporary art exhibition, the Science Fair dissolves traditional boundaries between disciplines. At the Georgetown Science Fair education is celebration.
The Next Industrial Revolution
Uniquely situated within the historic walls of the Georgetown Steam Plant—a monument to Seattle’s industrial past—the event refused to treat that legacy as static history. Instead, it engaged the space as a living question: What comes next?
As a historic relic of the fossil fuel age, the Georgetown Steam Plant stands as a monument to the legacy of General Electric and its role in shaping the Industrial Era. Visitors are awed by the massive machines that helped transform landscapes to power the rise of modern cities.
Amidst these towering turbines, the Georgetown Science Fair invited participants to blow our minds with mad scientist energy, and to explore the systems and sectors shaping our next era of transformation. It framed this moment as nothing less than the Next Industrial Revolution. But unlike the extractive revolutions of the past, this one is being built with intention: it is creative and community-driven.
The archive pages of the 2024–2025 Georgetown Steam Plant Science Fair stand as documentation of more than an event; they reflect a methodology. They capture a model of civic engagement built on imagination, partnership, and bold cultural framing. Through her leadership, Debbie Pessein has demonstrated the ability to translate visionary ideas into tangible, community-anchored experiences. The Georgetown Science Fair is not simply a program—it is a platform. A proof of concept. A gathering point for those ready to co-create the next chapter of industry, education, and place-based possibility.