Idaho State University to Host K-5th Grade STEM Camp, June 17-21

The purpose of the camp will be to provide hands-on activities to explore solving real-world problems while inspiring young children to study and pursue careers in STEM in the future. 

Thanks to a $48,800 grant provided by the Idaho STEM Action Center elementary students were invited to participate in the ISU K-5 STEM camp earlier this year free of charge and will work alongside faculty and students from the College of Education’s Department of Teaching and Educational Studies (TES). Participants will engage in a variety of activities, including 2D modeling, 3D printing, robotics and coding, studying invasive plants in Idaho, exploring bugs and biomes, investigating ubiquitous bacteria, learning computer sorting techniques, and conducting data collection and research.

Dr. Allison Roxburgh, assistant professor in TES, is one of the lead faculty members hosting this camp. Her speciality area focuses on teaching mathematics to pre-service elementary teachers. Roxburgh will be leading the invasive plants in Idaho session where students will model mathematics through a graph by analyzing and interpreting data about invasive plant species such as Hogweed, Turkish Thistle, and Yellow Hawkweed that have been reported in Idaho. Students will then compare their graphs to examine mathematical relationships such as greater than, less than, and pattern recognition. 

As a former third and fourth-grade teacher, Roxburgh advocates for early exposure to STEM education. She takes great pride in ensuring that the ISU students and future teachers she works with have the confidence to teach mathematics and other STEM subjects to K-12 students. Roxburgh recognizes the importance of providing students with enriching experiences outside of the traditional classroom experience such as this summer camp.  

To learn more about the  K-5th Grade STEM Camp happening on June 17-21, please visit https://www.isu.edu/education/outreach/stemcamp/.