Indiana Wesleyan University’s Division of Natural Sciences will welcome 71 children to campus on June 15-16 as part of its Exploration Wildcat Summer Science camp. The day camp is open to Grant County children in fourth, fifth and sixth grade, and it features hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) experiments, demonstrations, games and learning how to become a future scientist.
“The goal of this event is to create a fun, hands-on learning experience for children from Grant County to get them excited about Science,” said Dr. Matthew Kreitzer, chair, Division of Natural Sciences.
Activities feature topics such as forensic fingerprinting, liquid nitrogen ice cream, infrared cameras and dissections. Campers will also have an opportunity to hear from local STEM professionals, including Corrine Coots, director of supply chain at Café Valley; Michael Liechty, quality manager at Café Valley; Kenny Ewing, wastewater supervisor at Marion Utilities; and Jim Dalrymple, water supervisor at Marion Utilities.
“STEM-related jobs are projected to be one of the highest growing fields, which means lots of great job opportunities,” said Dr. Tara Renbarger, assistant professor of Biology. “We hope this camp excites students to STEM and encourages them to pursue STEM-related degrees in their future. These students are our future, so we really hope we can encourage them to pursue what they love.”
The camp, which runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. each day, is made possible by contributions from IWU science faculty and students, community industry partners and IWU. Grant County business that have provided supplies for the camp include: Café Valley, Atlas Foundry, Southside Animal Hospital, Marion Utilities, Bruner Dental and IWU Blanchard Endowment.
Click here for more information on IWU’s Division of Natural Sciences.