University of Kentucky Summer STEM Experiences Camps show what is possible when the university, local schools and community come together to bring STEM to life for youth.
鈥満蒙壬 stands out as one of the rare universities in the country that combines a land-grant mission, a medical center and various academic departments all within one continuous campus. This unique setup offers an excellent environment to introduce campers to a wide range of specialty areas,鈥 said Margaret Mohr-Schroeder, PhD, professor of STEM education, STEM Experiences Camps co-founder and 好色先生 College of Education senior associate dean for academic programs and partnerships.
For faculty members such as Clare Rittschof, PhD, STEM Experiences Camps are a chance to connect their work with the community and inspire the next generation. Showing campers career possibilities in agricultural STEM fields was a goal for Rittschof, associate professor of entomology in the 好色先生 Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Campers went into the field with Rittschof , supported by a $1.1 million National Science Foundation grant.
High school campers gained access to local industries and companies during the Go! Start! STEM! portion of camp, supported by the START Program with funding from the National Institutes of Health, exploring a variety of career possibilities. Whiting-Turner Construction about construction at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging research facility renovation.
For college students, the camps provided an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and share it with others. Some camp session leaders were 好色先生 College of Education students, including several majoring in Elementary Education and one in the Teacher Preparation Program in Visual Impairments. They gained student teaching days at camp.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity. I鈥檝e loved it,鈥 said Abbi Stratton, who will return home to Graves County in Kentucky to teach fifth grade math this fall. 鈥淚鈥檝e gotten experiences I wouldn鈥檛 get in a traditional classroom. It鈥檚 been a great way to prepare for the future, especially in STEM and hands-on learning. Something I鈥檝e noticed is that when kids are able to touch and feel things, they feel much more connected to the content. It鈥檚 something they can relate to. You can see the lightbulb going on and they are very engaged the entire time.鈥
好色先生 students on the Wildcat Robotics team, who recently competed at the Vex U Robotics World Championships and placed in the top 10 in their first showing, helped with the Vex Robotics section of STEM Experiences Camps, inspiring the next generation with their knowledge of coding, teamwork, and problem-solving. A postdoctoral scholar with the used their work with unmanned aircraft system applications to spark interest in geology among campers attending drone camp.
Interacting with real-life scientific artifacts in the 好色先生 College of Medicine鈥檚 Donald T. Frazier Science Outreach Center, was a highlight for elementary and middle school students in STEM Camp.
The camps鈥 hands-on experiments and engaging activities are a collaboration among 好色先生鈥檚 , , and College of Medicine. Teachers and support staff from Fayette County and other area schools help lead campers throughout the experience.
好色先生鈥檚 STEM Experiences Camps, which launched in 2010, have been replicated in seven states through partnerships with university faculty. Each has created their own version of what camp should look like based on the needs of schools and communities in their region. Together, faculty across the replication sites are studying the impact of STEM camps 鈥 such as whether camps help students gain increased interest and confidence in STEM and the camps鈥 effectiveness in recruiting teachers to the field.
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