EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Odyssey Science Camp is in full swing and campers are building, exploring and investigating science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through hands-on projects. The SIUE STEM Center offers the two-week camp that runs through Friday, July 29 and includes interactive instruction designed for students entering grades 2-9.
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“So far robotics is my favorite,” said 12-year-old Montgomery Hubler. “I’ve been coming to camp since I was going into first grade.”
“I like building bridges, playing games and meeting new friends,” added 6-year-old Emmie Robberson.
Activities range from introducing scientific principles, building math skills, simple “crime scene” investigations, exploring disaster preparedness, constructing a Lego® robot and astronomy activities, including telescope building and model rocket engineering.
“I’m passionate about robotics, so getting to work with these kids and challenge them to learn more is incredibly cool,” said instructor Jonathan Bopp, a student at Missouri Science and Technology.
“I want kids turned on to science at a young age,” added instructor Vicki Eschman, a teacher at Whiteside Elementary in Belleville. “It’s not so much what we do, but how we do it. There’s no reason for sitting. This is hands-on science.”
Odyssey Science Camp offers students a well-rounded experience, with built in recreation time. Campers can swim, play games or attend an art lab where they work on creative projects that investigate the relationship between art and science.
“This camp teaches children that learning about STEM can be fun, and it also provides them the needed recreation that is often unavailable in a school setting,” said Katie Robberson, a mother of two camp participants. “STEM education, with an added component of art, is critical to a child’s problem solving and innovation skills. These skills will help them not only in their education, but also their future professions.”
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Center for STEM Research, Education and Outreach comprises an independent group of researchers and educators, innovating ways to engage students and the public in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Within the SIUE Graduate School, the Center brings together research faculty, graduate students and practitioners to conduct education research. Center staff develop and teach hands-on STEM programming as well as online citizen science and astronomy initiatives. The Center contributes educational expertise to SIUE undergraduate classes and provides professional development for K-12 teachers. The Center boasts a significant library of equipment and resources, which are available for loan at no cost to campus and regional instructors. For more information, visit stemideas.org or contact STEM Center Director Sharon Locke at (618) 650-3065 or stemcenter@siue.edu.
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