Earlham College 2023 Summer STEM Camp

Earlham College offered two, 6-day consecutive sessions called the Earlham Summer STEM Camp. The camps were pre-college, residential experiences for Indiana residents who are rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

The Scientech Foundation’s $10,000 grant funding awarded scholarship dollars to twenty-two students, nearly half of all the STEM campers, who otherwise might not have been able to attend the camp. Also, this group consisted of a diverse group of students.

Earlham Summer STEM coursework included:

• Environmental chemistry, led by Dr. Kalani Seu, Associate Professor of Chemistry. Along with other relevant topics, this course introduced students to experimental design and implementation (utilizing the scientific method) as well as analyzing and interpreting data.

• Computer programming, led by Dr. David Barbella, Assistant Professor of Computer Science. In this course, students explored introductory programming concepts and game development concepts using Unity, a professional game development environment.

There were specific learning objectives for each course. Post-course assessments showed that 95% of all the participants who completed the week demonstrated advancement of their knowledge about their curricular focus (100% of students receiving Scientech Foundation scholarship monies advanced and passed their coursework).

When asked about their favorite experience at the STEM camp, students said:

“The class was my favorite experience. I enjoyed learning more about the chemistry of water, and doing labs was so fun.”

"I really enjoyed the coursework and it fit well with how I learn things, as well as the professor and my classmates being open to communicate and interact, and classmates being open to support and talk to each other in the class setting."

Source: Jill Nelson, Associate Director of Summer Programs, Earlham College.