CEC connects with K-12 students in summer outreach
From summer camps to field trips, CEC students and staff got involved in inspiring young learners with STEM fields
CEC connects with K-12 students in summer outreach
Community outreach doesn’t take summer break at Miami University. College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) students were active this summer with local K-12 students.
Several summer camp programs hosted young students on the Oxford campus for full days of learning, creating, and innovating.
“Miami University's College of Engineering and Computing is grateful for the opportunity our K-12 Outreach Program has had to collaborate with local schools and youth organizations throughout Southwest Ohio through a variety of initiatives—including summer camps, field trips, outreach programs, and STEM events,” Assistant Director of K-12 Outreach Allison Summers said.
Middle schoolers split time at Miami and Oyler School in Cincinnati as well as a field trip to Henny Penny for the week-long Art of Engineering Camp. The camp exposed youth participants to several engineering avenues including mechanical, electrical, robotic, paper, biomechanical, and more.
“Introducing STEM to children and teens is essential to sparking curiosity and building critical thinking skills,” Summers added. “By engaging students in hands-on STEM activities, we help them explore a wide range of career possibilities and imagine themselves in these roles.”
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CEC's K-12 outreach also reached students in Cincinnati through a connection between Whiting-Turner Contracting and the Booker T. Washington Community Center. Katie Bush, a Miami mechanical engineering student interning with Whiting-Turner over the summer, was involved in the outreach activity, which included hands-on work with the youth the center serves. Bush, along with other interns involved in the activity, challenged younger students with building the tallest yet stable structure possible out of 20 straws and a foot of tape, all in under 20 minutes.
“It was super awesome and exciting to see the kids engage with the tower building and be excited about it,” said Bush.
Once constructed, the towers were placed on a shaker table to test the tower’s structural integrity.
“For an hour, we built towers and shook them on the shaker table. In that hour we were able to make connections, have conversations, and have fun,” Bush said. “It was cool to open their eyes to a new career and show just how much construction truly impacts the world around them.”
CEC’s K-12 outreach also brought in 62 rising high school juniors and seniors for the Summer Scholars experience, put on abilities summer camp sessions for students at the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, gave hands-on robotics demonstrations during the Ross Rambotics Camp, and provided 100 middle school students with mechanical engineering experiment materials.
“These experiences not only build confidence but also allow students to ‘try on’ the work of scientists, engineers, and innovators,” Summers said. “Through each program, we are empowering the next generation of problem-solvers, creators, and leaders—one experience at a time."
