Camp STEM is designed to inspire high school students to study engineering and science by giving them a chance to take hands-on classes in STEM fields such as computer science, chemistry and engineering. “Thanks to AT&T’s generous sponsorship, we were able to offer scholarships to 40 percent of our students and increase the number of seats by 50 percent over last year,” explained Dr. Kimberlyn Gray, WVU Tech’s First Year Coordinator for the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering and Sciences.
“The Charleston Area Alliance supports the work of Camp STEM at WVU Tech and thanks AT&T for
its support of this critical initiative for West Virginia,” said Matthew Ballard, President & CEO of the Charleston Area Alliance. “The students who will experience Camp STEM will receive real-world, hands on training so they can be prepared for college and to enter our workforce.
This year’s camp includes courses such as biomedical engineering, civil engineering, computer animations, environmental chemistry, renewable energy technologies and robotics. WVU Tech faculty teach all of the courses, with assistance from upperclass students majoring in one or more of Tech’s many STEM majors. In addition to classes, campers learn about possible careers in the STEM disciplines.
“When it comes to our children, we have a shared responsibility to make sure that they receive the best education possible to provide them the skills they need to succeed at good-paying jobs. Improving our STEM programs will open doors for our students and is critical for West Virginia to remain competitive in the global marketplace,” explained Senator Joe Manchin. “West Virginia University Institute of Technology has embraced this shared responsibility and provided such a valuable resource to our youth over the past nine years through Camp STEM. I applaud their efforts and wish them continued success.”
“AT&T is thrilled to support the Camp STEM program at West Virginia University Institute of Technology,” said Andy Feeney, Regional Vice President, External Affairs, AT&T. “An educated workforce for the future is not only critical to the success of our nation, and our state, but to the success of our company as well, and the students enrolled at Camp STEM are working hard to prepare for the economy of tomorrow.”