Beckley, WV (WOAY) – GEAR UP Southern West Virginia is inspiring young minds with a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics STEM camp on the WVU Tech campus.
The students work on special projects, take field trips, and learn from experts in their fields.
It’s been fun for the kids and provided an interesting opportunity.
“Learned robotics, how to code, we’ve done different stuff, like math, the human anatomy, probably will help me — probably is something that can help,” said Riverside High School Sophomore Connor Blankenship.
Stem offers enhanced critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and more.
“Students experience the different STEM fields that exist and that we offer here at Tech, from mechanical and chemical engineering to the sciences, as well as math,” said Assoc. Chemical Engineering Professor Nathan Galinsky.
They learned about circuits, nursing, the human body, and the brain.
“It’s making me think about what I want to do in the future,” Woodrow Wilson High School Sophomore Leona Lacy said. “I was interested when we were learning about the brain, or maybe learning about how the brain works, or like if I can make medicine to help the brain.”
Some WVU Tech faculty introduced the kids to STEM, and Dow Chemical came up from Charleston.
“Did an activity with some of the chemistry properties that Dow deals with on a day-to-day basis, and explored career pathways with Dow, as well as the people who came, talked a little bit about their journey,” said Galinsky.
According to the associate chemical engineering professor, STEM Camp allows the students to explore those fields early in their high school careers to start thinking about what they’re going to do after high school.
