High School Students to Gain Real-World STEM Training at Westminster This July

High School Students interested in science and math will have the opportunity to explore their academic passions and potential career paths at The STEM Academy July 23-27, 2017. The five-day residential academy is open to incoming freshman through graduating seniors and offers an option to earn college credit. The deadline to register is June 15.

During Academy week, students will receive lab work and field experience from real world professions in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), working to solve problems through project-based learning and fun and creative activities.  In nine fascinating labs over five days, students will learn about advances in STEM fields such as 3D printing, the use of drones in paleontology, and fighting environmental damage through green chemistry. Below are topics to be explored, with more to come:

• Take part in a rare opportunity to explore the human body: an anatomical review of a male and female cadaver.
• Digging with drones? Using rock and fossil clues, paleontologists make new discoveries every year about some of the most unique and amazing organisms to have ever lived. Learn how drones are now used to locate dig sites and solve the mysteries of ancient life.
• 3D printing is transforming the world of manufacturing and design. Try your hand at computer aided design (CAD) and print your own creations on a 3D printer.
• From medicine to toothbrush bristles, how do chemists meet the world’s needs, but stay environmentally responsible? Find out how to make substances such as nylon and aspirin while learning about green chemistry.
• Perform field work on an excursion to Prairie Fork Conservation Area, a 711-acre nature reserve in nearby Williamsburg.
• Power up with electrochemistry! Learn more about electrochemical processes by exploring how we get energy from chemical reactions.
• Build and launch rockets, investigating engineering design and using elastic potential and kinetic energy.

To register or find more information on the STEM Academy, go to www.westminster-mo.edu/go/STEM.

Please contact STEM Academy director, Dr. Jim Concannon, with questions at [email protected] or 573-592-5293.