Highlights from last week’s Adventures in STEM Camp
Sixteen middle school girls enjoyed a fun and exciting week of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) adventures last week during a day camp organized and hosted by NIMBioS and the engineering center at the University of Tennessee called CURENT.
Girls toured NIMBioS and designed and printed 3D models of real flowers. They explored the world of mathematical modeling through activities such as acting out a predator-prey-resource model in a game called “Oh Deer!” and exploring a similar model in Netlogo in the computer lab.
NIMBioS graduate fellows Ben Levy and Christine Dumoulin and NIMBioS postdoctoral fellow Caroline Farrior assisted throughout the week. The girls interviewed Farrior about her science career as well as interviewing NIMBioS postdoctoral fellows Sandy Kawano and Angie Peace, NIMBioS Associate Director for Education & Outreach Suzanne Lenhart, and NIMBioS Web Analyst Jane Comiskey.
A field trip to the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, TN was included followed by a tour of the University of Tennessee Veterinary School and hospital. CURENT provided many activities for the girls about electricity and renewable energy including building solar car and windmill models. The week concluded with the girls presenting to their families all the knowledge they acquired in the week, as well as the posters that they created of themselves in their dream STEM careers.