This week, a few dozen rising 6th-8th grade students from around the greater Fayetteville community are participating in a week-long camp on Methodist University’s 600-plus acre campus. The camp is focused on teaching students the four main tenants of STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The young minds of tomorrow are making the most of their summer at Methodist University’s STEM Camp.
This week, rising 6th-8th grade students from around the greater Fayetteville community are participating in a week-long camp on Methodist University’s 600-plus acre campus. The camp is focused on teaching students the four main tenants of STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Each day, campers have a chance to learn more through hands-on learning activities – all taught by some of MU’s faculty:
- Lights, Color, Action! Changes in Chemistry (Professor Alexis Howard and Dr. Stephanie Hooper Marosek, Chemistry)
- The Price of Energy (Dr. Denise Bauer, Engineering & Environmental and Occupational Management)
- Roller Coaster Engineering (Dr. Denise Bauer, Engineering & Environmental and Occupational Management)
- Movement Analysis Using Video Capture (Dr. Matthew Foreman, Occupational Therapy)
- What Are Your Chances? (Professor Dan Bennett, Professor Cecilia Ducloz, and Dr. Kathy Fick, Mathematics)
Welcome to the Game Builder (Dr. Abdulrahman Hafez, Computer Science)- Have You Ever Gotten a Cut? Learn How Physician Assistants Stop the Bleeding! (Dr. Greer Fisher and Lynn McCandless, Physician Assistant Program)
- Technology in Nursing Education (Dr. Shannon Matthews, Nursing)
- Applied Forensic Science: Crime Scene Investigation (Dr. Steve Downs and Isis Tutman, Forensic Science)
- Growing the STEM Together (Dr. Kyrstin Krist, Kinesiology)
- Eyeball Anatomy (Professor Meghan Hennessey, Biology)
- Cloud Science (Dr. John Dembosky, Geology)
- Ship the Chip (Dr. Denise Bauer, Engineering & Environmental and Occupational Management)
- Fabulous Folding (Professor Dan Bennett and Dr. Kathy Fick, Mathematics)
“STEM Camp is a way for middle school students to explore multiple areas in the STEM fields in a fun and relaxed environment,” said Bauer, event organizer and chair and director of Engineering. “Since all the sessions are hands-on, the campers are active learners during the week, which creates very thoughtful and creative discussions and solutions. That is probably one of the best things about STEM Camp – seeing the campers get very excited and proud when they grasp something new or come up with a great idea. We hope this sparks an interest in STEM fields.”
One of the activities is led by Foreman, who walks students through Methodist University’s Motion Analysis Laboratory in the McLean Health Sciences Building. Using motion analysis technology, students can swing a tennis racket and analyze its velocity and impact.
“We’re also learning more about kinetics,” said Foreman. “Students are jumping off force plates to see who makes the most force from the plates. It helps students better understand Newton’s third law while having fun.”
More than two dozen students participated in this year’s STEM Camp, including sixth grader Laurel Marosek.
“It’s been an amazing experience. I’ve met so many new people and I’ve learned something new each day. I also love getting messy,” she laughed.
For eighth grader Vedika Zope, it was her first opportunity to visit Methodist University’s beautiful campus.
“I really like the school,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of fun and my favorite part has been the dissection of a cow eye.”
To view photos from the week’s STEM Camp, keep tabs on the MU Flickr page. You can also learn more about upcoming summer camps.