FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STEAM Adventure Camps Offered for Free in West Virginia
West Virginia, USA – The West Virginia Science Adventures and the National Youth Science Academy are pleased to announce that they will be offering STEAM Adventure camps across the state. These camps will allow middle and high school students to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) in a fun and interactive way.
The STEAM Adventure programs are full-day camps that run from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM and include snacks and lunch. While there is no tuition fee, a $25 registration fee is required to hold your child’s seat. The registration fee is due within two weeks of receiving an email confirming your child’s spot.
These camps will be held at various locations throughout West Virginia, including Marshall University or AD Lewis Center in Cabell County, Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County, NYSAcademy’s Davis Campus in Tucker County, and the University of Charleston in Kanawha County.
The camps will be conducted by a team of experienced professionals from partnering organizations. The camps will offer hands-on activities and projects that encourage critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Camp topics include:
Amazing Microbiology: Explore the unseen world of microorganisms. You will work in a real science lab to collect, culture, and observe bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. Spend the week doing fun, hands on experiments in microbiology. This will be a great introduction to biomedical and health-related science. If you have an interest in becoming a doctor, veterinarian or research scientist, this camp is for you. This class will be taught by Marshall Professor (and mom) Dr. Wendy Trzyna in the Microbiology lab. Rigorous and fun!
Our Amazing Earth: Rock, Fossils, & More!: Planet Earth is our home- like any home, it is loaded with complexity, wonder and charm! Spend a week familiarizing yourself with all the amazing components of the Earth system- from the vastness of geologic time, to the amazing creatures that have roamed our planet’s surface throughout its history, to the interactions of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, and the many ways in which humans have impacted our natural environment. Through a combination of hands-on activities, visits to local sites of natural wonder, and creative projects, participants will develop a lifelong appreciation for the Earth system and our place within it! This camp is taught by geology professor Dr. Ryan Sincavage.
Animating Japan: Travel to Japan without leaving WV! Language immersion camp with emphasis on Japanese comics, animation, and coding. Campers will be creating comic panels and learning coding using Scratch that can animate those panels! Our lead educator will be Jade Billhiemer!
Wonders of Water: Are you interested in being a young biologist? Then, come dive into the Water Explorer’s Camp with us! You’ll learn and have fun at the same time as we introduce you to all things fascinating about Earth’s precious resource, WATER. From close-up looks at aquatic bugs and fish you may have never seen before, to how we keep our water clean for all life, this camp has it covered. We’ll introduce you to mysterious wetlands and the plants and creatures who live there and use our imaginations in hands-on activities and models that send you through an obstacle course to learn about water pollution or transform you into a water molecule to journey through the water cycle. Each day will include a field trip to local water sources and we’ll cap the week off with a boat ride (weather permitting) and fish print shirts! Lead educators will be Tomi Bergstrom, MU graduate and current WV Project WET coordinator; Tom Aluise, MU graduate and current Youth Environmental Program coordinator at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection; and Carrie Denvir, MU graduate and stormwater program analyst for the City of Huntington.
LEGO Extravaganza: Love building with LEGOs and learning LEGO robotics? Then join this camp for open play, daily building challenges, and learn about coding and robotics. You will also make an adventure movie from your LEGO builds with stop motion animation. Leader educator will be Jordan Holman, who is now in his 5th year of teaching our LEGO camps. This is an overnight experience, details to come!
Animal Colors and Patterns: The unique colors and patterns of animals have inspired many outfits in the fashion industry to the creation of a display screen of e-readers. In this camp students will learn how different animals see color and use color to survive and communicate with other animals in their ecosystem. Students will learn concepts by using light experiments, art projects, reviewing nature documentaries, and designing a prototype using colors and patterns to solve an issue in their community. Also meet some new animal friends that will visit. If you love animals or want to be a vet this camp is for you! This class will be taught by Marshall biology professor (and mother of 4) Dr. Jackie Fannin, and long time WVSA staff, Jordan Holman!
During registration, parents will be asked to rank their child’s preferred camp choices. However, please keep in mind that spots will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. We typically offer two full scholarships per child, and if there are remaining seats after the May 16th deadline, additional camps may be awarded.
These camps will be an excellent opportunity for students to learn new skills, make new friends, and explore their interests in STEAM.
Interested parents can click here to register and email us at wvprogramming@nysacademy.org with any additional questions.
