Program Details
Program Details
The Summer STEM Quest is a virtual summer program that gives students in grades K-12 the opportunity to do STEM activities over the summer.
Students in grades K-5 and 6-8 will each have 4 self-paced challenge modules that they can complete on their own time. These challenges teach important concepts, like density or Newton's laws, that are important for engineers to understand. After completely activities related to these concepts, students will receive an engineering challenge to complete. They must submit a picture of the challenge and a brief summary of the result in the Google Forms box to earn a badge (for more information about pictures, please keep reading).
All K-5 and 6-8 activities can be done using materials you find at home; however, if you would like to have a STEM kit mailed to you, please indicate so on the registration form and we will send one within 3-5 business days.
Students in grades 9-12 have the opportunity to participate in two separate quests: one related to robotics, and the other related to energy and sustainability. Both programs will start on July 19 and end on July 30 with a presentation to families on Zoom.
The Summer Robotics Quest will teach students the basic information about robotics and biomimetics, as well as the engineering design process. Students can learn about how to build a simple robot powered by a 9V battery at home - no soldering or circuits required! Students will complete a research poster and a brief summary of their work, and present it to their families on July 30. This is not a full-day camp but an enrichment program designed to teach the basics of these three topics.
The Summer Energy Scholars program, sponsored by CURENT Engineering Research Center, will teach students about energy and sustainability as it relates to the power grid. Students will learn about the grid, renewable energy, social-behavior characteristics related to renewable energy adoption, and more. They will complete a capstone project about sustainability and energy in their local community, and also have a presentation on July 30. This is not a full-day camp but an enrichment program designed to teach the basics of energy and sustainability.
Students can participate in both programs but failure to complete assignments or check-ins will result in a request to drop one program.
Both programs are free and require registration and a commitment to participating.
All programs are open to students in K-12 schools throughout the United States. We ask that you register so that we can keep you updated and so that we know who is participating.
If you choose to get a STEM kit sent to you or you register for the Summer Robotics Quest, we will need your address to mail supplies to you.
Students will receive badges for each challenge, and once all badges are earned, students will submit the completed form and receive a prize.
The program itself is free. You are welcome to request a STEM kit for the Elementary or Middle School programs if you would like.
Supplies needed will be posted on the first page of each program and emailed to all participants the week of May 17.
Yes! If you are in the elementary or middle school programs, when you earn all of your badges, you will receive a small prize for completion.
Engineers and scientists document their research discoveries, and it's never too early to learn good research practices.
Because this is a virtual quest, we are asking for documentation that your child has completed each activity. A photo of the finished product is sufficient for us to know that your child has completed the work and can be awarded a badge, moving on towards earning a prize.
We will not post pictures of your child on our website without your written permission. We have a Photo Release Form we would like you to sign in the event that you choose to submit the activity pictures of your child because they are just so awesome you (and we) need to share them with the entire world. But if you don't want to do that, that's totally fine.
If you choose not to send us a photo release form, we ask that you please submit pictures that do not show your child's face to respect their privacy. Pictures taken from the back, showing the back of the child's head, or just showing their finished product, are more than acceptable.
Any other questions? Email us!