With summer already here and school days almost over, a regular ritual plays over in many homes: What are the kids going to do this summer? With multiple offerings available in the community and at FSU (https://camps.fsu.edu/), one option is the FSU iCamp, a technology-based camp serving rising 9th through 12th graders from Leon and Gadsden counties.
FSU College of Communication and Information (CCI) successfully teamed up with the US Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) and the National Technology Student Association (TSA) to create FSU iCamp in 2018, offering talented high school students from groups historically underrepresented and underserved a pre-collegiate summer experience in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Hosted at higher education institutions across the country, AEOP’s Unite program encourages students to pursue college majors and careers in engineering and other STEM-related fields through a program of focused hands-on experiences involving rigorous academics, enrichment, and career exploration. Student registrations for 2019 summer programs will be accepted on a rolling basis with a cap of 40 students.
Last year, the program focused on Web Design, Digital Media Production, Animation/Videography, Game Design, Python coding, and Security/Networking. This year the camp will tackle several new topics including Social Media Marketing, Project Management Basics, Fake News/News Sourcing, Data Mining, and Cybersecurity Careers.
Students will engage in five off-site visits to Leon County EMS, Chemistry Labs, the Mag Lab, the Innovation Hub, and also work with drones. Since the program is a partnership with the US Army, the students will also hear from weekly guests from FSU ROTC and other service members about the uses of technology and careers in the military. The program also includes weekly sessions with the FSU Career Center on determining the right options for college and careers.
Lunch is also provided daily!
With the camp in its second year, 15 students have already been identified as returning. Some success from last year’s group includes (all students from historically underserved groups):
– two students are attending TCC
– a student accepted to the FSU CARE program for Fall 2019
– a student working with FAMU’s REAP program to conduct research
– a student accepted to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY for Fall 2019 to study physics
– two students participating in coding internships
– a student switching to IT and focusing on robotics while also becoming president of her school’s honor society
“This is really an incredible resource for our local students as they explore STEM and build their technology skills,” says Faye Jones, Co-director of the camp. “The camp helps us to support underrepresented minorities and women as they explore STEM.”
This was echoed by Ebe Randeree, Associate Dean at CCI, “The College has built partnerships with local K-12 schools as well as connected FSU IT students with the Technology Student Association (TSA) to work with middle and high school STEM students in the state—the feedback from last year’s camp shows that we are reaching our goals.”
Learn more about FSU iCamp and register here.
