Last Updated on June 17, 2019 by cassnetwork
SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College – Kokomo
KOKOMO, Ind. – A new STEM camp, aimed at middle school boys interested in having fun and expanding their knowledge in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, is set for its first sessions at Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo.
Presented by employees from the Kokomo and Tipton plants of FCA US, in partnership with Ivy Tech, the two-day camp sessions follow on the success of “Gearing Up Girls for STEM,” a camp for sixth- to eighth-grade girls that recently completed its second summer of programming. The new camp, open to boys going into the sixth to eighth grades, will offer hands-on experiences in physics, biochemistry, engineering, biology, aerodynamics, advanced manufacturing, and virtual reality.
Two sessions of the two-day camp are scheduled: July 29 and 30 or August 1 and 2, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day in Ivy Tech’s Automotive Technology building at 1942 E. North St. Cost is $20 per student, which includes breakfast and lunch both camp days. Registrations will be accepted until July 12 and parents and guardians can sign up campers by contacting Susan Turrill at sturrill@ivytech.edu or 765-252-5497.
“This camp is being developed as a result of popular demand,” said Joe Good, plant manager at FCA’s Tipton Transmission Plant and lead for the camp. “The girls’ camp was developed to expand interest in STEM fields among the young women in our community. Families expressed an interest in a similar program for their boys. We know this is an area that offers a great deal of opportunity for all our young people and a group of male FCA employees decided a boys’ camp was a good idea.”
FCA employees will join Ivy Tech faculty for the two-day sessions. The group is made up of FCA US employees at all levels and specialties including executives, engineers, managers, and members of the UAW, all of whom are committed to expanding opportunities for young people in the manufacturing industry. The summer STEM camp projects come at a time when the issue of workforce development continues to be at the forefront of economic development discussions in Indiana.
Sponsors of the inaugural boys STEM camp include Chick-fil-a, United Auto Workers Local 685, Mid State Engineering, Caron & Jones Dental Care, and Security Federal Savings Bank.