Ascendant STEM Camp Offered Free Of Charge
Ascendant Group has completed the first week of its annual STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] Camp, which caters to middle school students looking to enhance their skills in STEM by developing challenging robotic projects, electronics and wearable technology.
The Camp was initially launched in 2013 and provides an interactive experience founded in STEM related subjects including robotics, programming and mathematics.
Week 1 Students after presenting their final projects
“Through STEM Camp, we aim to use our resources and expertise across the Ascendant Group of Companies to encourage students who show an interest in STEM to pursue those interests and further develop their abilities,” states Denton Williams, Ascendant Senior Vice President.
Instructor Shirley Kelly highlights girls participation
He continues, “Previously, STEM Camp was offered at a cost comparable with other summer camps to offset the costs of running the Camp.
“However, upon reviewing the aims of STEM Camp and what we are looking to achieve with these students, we decided that this year, cost should not be a factor in determining who is able to attend.
“Instead, we have offered the Camp for free and invited each middle school to nominate two students with both a proficiency and interest in STEM subjects to participate.”
NXT Mindstorms Robot
This past week, students have used math and engineering to produce creative bridging solutions and built NXT Mindstorms robots to deliver alternative energy to a city.
They have also built a laptop from scratch and learned how to programme it. Additionally, students built an HTML-based webpage and took a plankton tour to study the organisms that are the basis of the ocean’s food chain.
Students built laptops from scratch
Instructor Shirley Kelly states, “This week, we were thrilled to welcome 7 girls into our class of 19 students. This is the growth we’ve been working toward over the last 5 years, as the number of female participants has been historically low. They have enjoyed camp and are happily engaged in all of the programmes.”
Components of the NXT Mindstorms Robot
“The overall aim of STEM Camp is to develop future leaders across the board, no matter what their areas of interest may be,” says Ascendant Vice President of Human Resources, Zehena Davis.
“Of course, both girls and boys should be inspired to pursue a wide range of leadership roles, including those in STEM fields. We hope that these 7 girls will encourage their friends to try STEM Camp next year so we can continue to see more of a gender balance.”
For more information about STEM Camp, please visit here.
Read More About
Category: All, News, technology
