Summer 2016 STEM Camps

Last year we let you know about all the top 2015 summer STEM camps – and we’re at it again for 2016. Here’s a list for camps for all ages across Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Delaware.

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VIRGINIA

VirginiaFIRST STEM Summer Camps
VirginiaFIRST is promoting a great lineup of STEM-based summer camps, hosted all over the state of Virginia by organizations like Code VA, the Virginia STEAM Academy, the Community College Workforce Alliance, FTC Robotics teams and more.

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Virginia Air & Space Center STEM Summer Camps
The Virginia Air & Space Center, which is one of fourteen NASA Visitor Centers located in Hampton, Virginia, will be offering several different fun science camps targeting students of different ages.

Grades K-1 covers basic science topics, chemistry, the solar system, and the robot revolution. Grades 2-3 camps cover the magic of science, chemistry, grassology, astronaut academy, and simple machines. Grades 4-5 camps cover magic tricks, racecar science, chemistry, and robotics topics. Grades 6-8 camps cover the science of flight, engineering and NASA robotics topics.

Systemic Solution STEM Camps at Northern Virginia Community College
NOVA SySTEMic Solutions offers varying STEM camps at Northern Virginia Community college, including a LEGO and VEX Robotics camps for 3^rd through 12^th graders and a Rocketry Camp that introduce rising 7th through 12th graders to rocketry.

They also offer a CAD/3D Printing Skills Camp for rising 9th through 12th graders that explores how significant innovations in the areas of 3D computer graphics and 3D printing technologies are revolutionizing how designers, artists, and engineers create products and tools. Additionally, there are also camps dedicated to Programming and Cybersecurity.

George Mason University Game Design, Programming, and Technology: Mason Game & Technology Academy (MGTA)
The MGTA Prep Program offers courses in introductory, intermediate, and advanced programming (all ages), game design and digital art classes for ages 8-14, cyber defense, and Minecraft Modding with Java.

MGTA Honors Program offers intensive courses in three areas of concentration: 3D game design, mobile app development, and art and animation. This program is open to students ages 15 and up, or rising high school students.

Old Dominion University VMASC Summer Camps 2016
Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center offers hands-on camps ranging from Robotics to Game Development to 3D Modeling, all facilitated by university faculty members and researchers. The preferred age group is 12 – 16.

University of Virginia iD Tech Camps
iD Tech Camps for kids, pre-teens, and teens are segmented by course and age. Ages 7-18 camps include: Adventures in Coding & Game Design with Tynker, Intro to Programming with JavaScript, Intro to Java Coding with Minecraft Modding, Adventures in Minecraft Game Design, Minecraft 3D Game Design, and Role-Playing Game Design with RPG Maker.

Ages 13-17 camps include: Java Programming, C++ Programming, Python Programming, RPG Game Design with Torchlight II, 3D Game Design with Dota 2, 3D Level Design with Team Fortress 2, and FPS Game Design with Unreal Engine 4.

Virginia Western Community College Summer Camps
Virginia Western Community College offers a range of different summer STEM camps including those listed below. The early registration discount ends 5/30/16.

• Hovercraft – Design Your Own Vehicle – Egg Drop Car (rising grades 4-6)
• Horticulture — Reap What You Sow (rising grades 4-6)
• Exploring Electronics (rising grades 9-12)
• Imaginate! Where your imagination and creativity will collide with Mechatronics (rising grades 6-8)
• Girls In Construction “MAGIC” – (Mentoring A Girl In Construction) (Girls, rising grades 7-12)
• Kingii Dragon – Robotics Workshop – The Ultimate Experience (rising grades 4-6)
• Robotics (rising grades 7-9)
• Explore Graphic Design (rising grades 7-12)
• LEGO YOUniverse: Make Your Own Adventure! (rising grades 4-9)
• Minecraft Designers (rising grades 4-7)
• Minecraft Modders (rising grades 7-9)
• Make Your First Video Game! (rising grades 4-9)

 

WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia University’s Camp STEM
At Camp STEM, students attend classes, conduct interesting experiments, take part in team projects, go on field trips and tours, and learn about careers in important STEM fields. The camp covers the topics of robotics, civil engineering, computer science, forensics and biodiesel technology.

WVU Tech’s STEM Summer Academy for Girls
This is a five-day summer program for current and incoming female high school students interested in STEM fields. Topics covered include robotics, chemistry, renewable energy, and mentorship for girls in STEM.

West Virginia University Engineering Challenge Camps
WVU’s Statler College will be hosting seven weeks of Engineering Challenge Camps in June, July, and August 2016, including:

• Growing Roots in STEM (all-female; high school): June 26-July 1
• Engineering in Action (high school): July 10-15
• Engineering in Entertainment (high school): July 10-15
• Engineering in Sustainability (high school): July 17-22
• Middle School Engineering Challenge Camp: varying dates
• Elementary Engineering Challenge Camp: varying dates
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Camps: varying dates
• 4th and 5th Grade Camps: varying dates

West Virginia Governor’s School for Mathematics and Science (GSMS) Summer Program
This summer residential program provides academic enrichment in the areas of science and math for current 7th and 8th graders living in and attending school in West Virginia. The final deadline for applications has been extended to March 20.

 

MARYLAND

Center for Future Engineers: Robot Design @ Frostburg State University, Allegany County
This week-long camp teaches students (grades 9-12) how to program real robots and build their own mobile robot. Students will visit the engineering and physics labs at Frostburg and discuss career paths in engineering and science with professors working in various fields.

Camp MSC (Maryland Science Center)
Maryland Science Center offers summer camp programming during the month of July for children ages 4-13. Topics covered include: Steampunk Science, The Science of Art, Design Lab, DIY Science, and more.

University of Maryland K-12 Pre-College Summer Programs
UMD’s A. James Clark School of Engineering will host a variety of STEM summer camps that give attendees the opportunity to learn about engineering, participate in hands-on activities, and meet engineering students and professors.

• 4th and 5th Grade Students – iEngineer @ UMD; LEGO Robotics Summer Camp
• 6th through 8th Grade Students – LEGO Robotics Summer Camp; Stepping Stones to Your Future (engineering computer camp); SeaPerch Summer Camp (underwater robotics)
• 9th through 12th Grade Students – SAT Strategies; ESTEEM/SER-Quest Summer Program (engineering); Exploring Engineering at the Unive3rsity of Maryland; P.I.C.E. CAMP (computer program for women in engineering); WIE LEAD Academies (women in engineering); Discovering Engineering

Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering – Engineering Innovation
Engineering Innovation is an exciting, college-level, summer program for motivated high school students with an aptitude in math and science and an interest in engineering.

Over four or five weeks (depending upon the site – there are sites in Baltimore, Frederick, Howard and Montgomery Counties), students complete lab activities in computer engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering.

Community College of Baltimore County Summer Learning Adventures Camps
CCBC offers several different full- and half-day STEM Camps at campuses across Baltimore County. Programs serve students from age 7 to 16 and include programming, robotics, animation, and video game design.

Howard Community College’s Kids on Campus
HCC’s Kids on Campus provides summer camp STEM opportunities for children ages 7-16. The camps run from June 20 – August 12, and examples include: Droids & Bots, Elementary Engineering, Rockets & Robotics, Advanced Robotics with NXT, Code Breakers, and others.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.

National Society of Black Engineers Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) Camp
This three-week program is open to current 3rd through 5th graders. Students are exposed to STEM through hands-on engineering projects, the roles and responsibilities of engineers and African American images in STEM.

The program will be held at local elementary schools and will include 125 students in each grade level, for a total of 375 students served per program.

Smithsonian Summer Camps
Summer Camps at the Smithsonian cover a wide range of STEM topics, including video game design, space, science, 3D technology, digital arts, animation, printmaking, and more. The camps run from June 20 through the week of August 15.

 

DELAWARE

Delaware Tech Community College Youth Programs
Delaware Tech offers a variety of STEM related summer youth programs at its Dover, Georgetown, Stanton and Wilmington campuses.

• K-2^nd Grade – Shoebox Science, Train to be An Astronaut, Cool Math4Kids, LEGO YOUniverse: Make Your Own Adventure, Coding for Kids, Minecraft Animators, LEGO Video Games, and more
• 3^rd – 5^th Grade – Amusement Park Science Challenge, CSI Delaware Tech, Go Green: Recycled Racers, LEGO YOUniverse: Make Your Own Adventure, Coding for Kids, Minecraft Animators, Liftoff: Rockets & Rovers, G2 The Girls Gamer Club, and more
• 6^th – 8^th Grade – Architectural Camp, Introduction to Drawing, Make Your First Video Game, Structural Design, Computer Graphics & Design, G2 The Girls Gamer Club, and more

University of Delaware 2016 Summer Camps
UDEL offers a variety of STEM camps sponsored by University units as well as others on University grounds but hosted by independent operators. These include:

• Delaware Aerospace Academy: Destination Ocean (1^st – 2^nd grade)
• Delaware Aerospace Academy: Destination Dinosaur (2^nd – 3^rd grade)
• Delaware Aerospace Academy: Destination Sky & Beyond (3^rd – 4^th grade)
• Delaware Aerospace Academy: Destination Space (4^th – 5^th grade)
• Delaware Aerospace Academy: Destination Flight (5^th – 6^th grade)
• Delaware Aerospace Academy: Destination Orbit (6^th – 8^th grade)
• Delaware Aerospace Academy: Destination Mars (8^th – 10^th grade)
• Week of Code (5^th – 8^th grade)
• Exploring Engineering Camp (9^th – 10^th grade)
• Young Engineers Camp (6^th – 8^th grade)
• 21^st Century Robotics Camp (1^st – 4^th grade)
• Minecraft Camp (4^th – 8^th grade)

Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation (DASEF) Aerospace Academy
The Delaware Aerospace Academy provides hands-on training and experiences in aerospace-related activities and fields for girls and boys in grades 1 – 10. The week-long full-day or half-day academies integrate STM concepts by using Earth and Space themes as the unifying framework.

 

Is your school or county running a STEM summer camp we missed in the above list? Let us know in the comments section below.