SerpApi.Org
Some elementary students are spending part of their summer learning about science, technology, engineering and math through OSU-Tulsa's Summer STEM Camps.
The camps, open to students from kindergarten through high school, are led by Oklahoma State University engineering students. Campers take part in hands-on activities designed to introduce them to engineering concepts, including building bottle rockets.
The camps scheduled for the rest of summer are full, but parents can still ask to be added to the waitlist.
Students learn engineering through hands-on activities
Campers spend the week completing projects that introduce them to STEM concepts in an engaging way while learning directly from OSU students.
The goal is to make engineering and other STEM fields easier to understand for younger students.
OSU students bring classroom lessons to younger learners
Trenton Wilson, a K-12 summer intern, said instructors simplify the concepts they study in college so students can see what careers in STEM could look like.
"We are teaching concepts that we all learn in our day-to-day lives at OSU, studying a variety of things, including we have data analytics about every type of engineer you can imagine. We've got a couple of agriculture education majors as well," Wilson said.
"We take the more advanced stuff and we break it down to them and kind of give them an intro into the things we learn in hopes to get them to OSU one day, hopefully, is the main goal," Wilson said. "We also want to introduce kids to these STEM things early, because some kids don't even know these options exist. And then they come to these camps and they realize, This is an option, they're interested, and that's definitely something that's very beneficial."
Introducing students to STEM careers early
Wilson said many students arrive without knowing what engineering involves, making the camps an opportunity to expose them to different career paths.
"A lot of people don't even really know what engineering is. So when we can break down the more specific disciplines of engineering and kind of give them a look into that, so they kind of have a better idea of what they want to do in the future," Wilson said.
Keeping students engaged during summer
Wilson said continuing to learn during the summer can help students stay academically engaged before returning to school.
"In the summer, continuing education throughout the year I think is very important. Your brain often shuts off in the summertime, so trying to keep it in an educational mode in the summer is very beneficial," Wilson said.
