O&E Magazine

Mobile engineering camps deliver STEM education in communities across Oregon

Middle school is a critical time for students to develop interest in STEM learning and the perfect time to begin prepping for college. Oregon State University’s Mobile Science and Engineering Camps, or Mobile E-Camps, are offering students and parents an opportunity to learn about both, and have fun doing it.

Mobile E-Camps include two days of hands-on activities where students explore scientific concepts and sustainable engineering practices, while parents learn how to facilitate their children’s path toward higher education.

Serving over 1,000 students in its first four years, Mobile E-Camps are offered all summer long at 12 locations across the state. These programs reach rural Oregon communities and allow both students and parents to feel at home, often in their own schools. Kyle Cole, Director of Precollege Programs at OSU, says the camps promise to engage students with highly relevant STEM activities that bridge the gap between school and summer learning.

In efforts to achieve larger gains in college enrollment in STEM fields, Cole believes parental involvement is the cornerstone for success. At the end of each Mobile E-Camp, parents assist students in their final project: to design and race their own solar-powered car.

This summer Cole hopes to spur even more parent involvement and introduce Adopt-a-Classroom, a mentoring program where OSU student mentors reach students via Skype throughout the school year to discuss topics students are studying in school and to motivate their college planning.

“Instilling a belief that students can achieve a higher education and a rewarding career is the goal,” says Cole.

For more information contact Kyle Cole at kyle.cole@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-8262.