Southwestern Michigan College is gearing up for its STEM summer camps, offered to students from across Southwest Michigan entering grades four through six.
SMC math and science professor Andrew Dohm tells us they’ve been offering the STEM camps since 2017 after looking for ways to prepare elementary age students for the jobs of the future.
“We saw there was a need for these upper elementary age students to be involved in STEM activities,” Dohm said. “ There was an interest there. So we kind of put our heads together and we designed a one-day camp where students come to the campus of SMC in Dowagiac and we go into our science building and we basically have the students go through one hands-on workshop per letter of STEM. So for example, the science workshop, we put them in the chemistry lab and we do simple things with them, mixing things or color changing or acid-base reactions or making slime, something just to get them into the lab and try two or three or four fun little activities.”
And Dohm says the STEM camps have been a success.
“The students love it. They get a lot out of it. It’s high energy, hands-on, but it gets them excited about some fundamental STEM concepts and it gets them working in groups and it brings them to college for the day. And a lot of students have never been to our campus.”
Last summer, 164 campers landed rovers on Mars, coded with AI, populated a math-based zoo to learn fractions, and tested pH levels. Dohm says it’s all about learning while having fun.
“In a lot of ways, I think it’s the way learning should be. You’re trying to provide them those unforgettable learning experiences, the wow factors and the ‘Look at what you did’ and ‘Wow, that was successful.’ There’s just so many different things that I think the students get out of it.”
Dohm says the STEM camps are led by SMC faculty and students, as well as teachers from the area. And they’re all free thanks to support from the Bosch Community Fund. He says Bosch has generously underwritten the program for years now, helping prepare the next generation of engineers, scientists, and problem-solvers.
Registrations for the STEM camps will open in May. Dohm tells parents to watch the SMC website for more information.
