HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE N.M. -- The Holloman School Liaison office and the state of New Mexico, hosted a free five-day Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Innovation Camp for middle school military-connected students at the Holloman Youth Center June 14-18, here.
“This is the first time there has been a STEM camp for middle school students here on base,” said LaurieAnn Goodier, Child and Youth Education Services-School Liaison. “It’s a free opportunity for the kids to get a week’s worth of hands on application, while also expanding on their team building and cooperation skills.”
The camp was for students who are entering sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The participating students varied from the Holloman Youth Center members attending school on base, to home schooled students.
During the camp the students were tasked with developing an invention to solve an everyday problem of their choosing, such as a belt to alert a blind individual an object or wall is near them, using the skills and techniques they learned.
“The students learned how to build electronic circuits using sensors to take in information, and then used various types of outputs to cause action,” said Cheryl Kirby, STEM Innovation Camp instructor. “They will then combine the skill they learned to create an invention to solve a problem they identified.”
At the end of the week, the students presented their final projects to their families and a panel of judges. Each student received a certificate as well as a circuit board to use for future projects, provided by the Air Force Research Laboratory.
“The goal of this event is to get kids interested in STEM so they can hopefully seek out other opportunities, and based on the feedback we get, we could provide additional opportunities like this one,” said Goodier. “It’s great having these partnerships with other entities to provide these educational experiences and opportunities for military kids.”