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Technology school hosts STEM camp

A week long camp organized by Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Workforce Commission is being hosted at UH until June 29. The Governor’s Science and Technology Champions Academy focuses largely on education surrounding science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Five teachers and 55 students, winners of the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair, will be on campus over the course of the week.

Raymond E. Cline, Jr., associate dean of the research and graduate studies at the College of Technology and principal investigator on of the program, hopes that the program will attain its goal of enrichment in STEM fields.

“Students and teachers attending the camp will have hands on experiences with a number of technological and scientific challenges,” Cline said.

“It is our goal to provide students with experiences that extend and challenge the lessons they have learned in classrooms and through their own science fair experience. We hope to provide teachers with a rich set of experiences that they can translate back into their own classrooms to further motivate and inspire their own students.”

According to Cline, the camp’s declared theme is “Science and Technology Used in Exploring Extreme Environments.” Much of the focus of the camp will be honed in on the aerospace, defense and energy industry technology. Robotics will also play a crucial role in the education of the students as both students and teachers will go to NASA’s “Mars Yard”  — a neutral buoyancy lab — and build their own underwater vehicle.

Cline believes this camp to be the best recruiting method of young kids for STEM careers.

“The GSTCA is among dozens of science-based summer camps funded with TWC WIA Statewide Activity Funds that support Gov. Perry’s initiative to prepare Texas’ future workforce with advanced skills required for high-demand careers,” Cline said. “Using summer camps as a tool for recruiting and retaining students in the STEM disciplines has been cited as a best practice for increasing graduates in the computer and engineering fields.”

“We believe that we have designed a program which will inform them and give them opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills in science and technology,” Cline said.

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