Summer Camps Provide Science and Engineering Experiences to Students Across Arkansas

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High school students stand with their completed bridge during the Engineering Summer Academy.

More than 450 students across Arkansas participated in College of Engineering summer camps as the program expanded to 25 camps in eight locations.

Students in first through third grade participated in the FIRST LEGO League Jr. camp, and fourth through seventh graders attended Robotics Engineering Camp. Fifth through eighth graders learned science, technology, engineering and math concepts in the Discover Engineering, Explore Engineering, and Inside Engineering camps.

The Engineering Summer Academy offered four different residential camps for high school students. In addition, camps specifically for middle and junior high school girls were offered in five locations.

The Inside Engineering and Soaring High in Engineering girls' camps are offered in Batesville, Bentonville, Blytheville, Camden, Hot Springs and Mena. Camp Director Amy Warren said those communities were purposefully chosen.

"We target areas across the state where students don't have easy access to these kinds of STEM enrichment opportunities," she said. "Our goal is to introduce kids to engineering concepts they might not otherwise be exposed to and increase the pool of talented future engineers in the state. Our data suggests many of these campers go on to study engineering at the U of A."

Meghan Willox is one of them. The sophomore chemical engineering student attended the same camps she now helps facilitate.

 "I enjoyed camps as a participant because it gave me the chance to connect with campus and the College of Engineering while I was still in high school," she said. "The opportunity to work as a member of camp staff a few years later has strengthened that connection even further."

This year's growth would not have been possible without support from a variety of sponsors and partners.

Engineering camp sponsors, who provide funding for scholarships or to help offset other camp expenses include:

• Alkyne Design
• Altice/Suddenlink
• Kent Weeks
• the Maritime Transportation, Research and Education Center
• MultiCraft Contractors
• National Park College Innovative Technologies Cente
• Phillips 66
• The Women's Giving Circle

Travel camp locations were provided by:

• The Don Tyson School of Innovation
• Camden Fairview Schools
• Haas Hall Academy
• KIPP Delta Public Schools
• National Park College
• University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville
• University of Arkansas Rich Mountain

Partners who provided support for camp activities included:

• The Arkansas Archeological Survey
• Arvest
• J.B. Hunt Transportation Services Inc.
• Wolfspeed

Registration for Summer 2020 camps will open in February. To be placed on our camp notification list, please visit: https://engineering-camps.uark.edu/