The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has announced that students in its Center for Advanced Measurements in Extreme Environments (CAMEE) are leading elementary school outreach programs focused on creative ways to learn science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
CAMEE was established at UTSA in 2019 to encourage interdisciplinary academic collaboration. Funded by NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project, the center continues to grow opportunities for students of all ages to explore the field of STEM.
According to UTSA Today, CAMEE undergrad, graduate, and doctoral students are giving children a glimpse into space exploration, polar sea ice, and oceanic atmospheres through lessons that feature mechanical engineering and planetary sciences.
During one recent visit to a local elementary school, CAMEE students led lessons integrating data usage and math for young students to prepare for a trip to the moon. The elementary students colored in squares of a grid to help them understand wavelengths, while another lesson called for them to practice percentages as they listed the importance of cargo for their outer space voyage. Each item was accompanied by the percentage of room it took up.
Since assuming the helm of CAMEE, Kiran Bhaganagar, professor of mechanical engineering and director of CAMEE, has worked to inspire a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary students within the field.
“Exposure and engagement are critical. We need to make the effort to expose students to our work, let them see what we are doing, and engage them at a young age through guided programs. Sometimes you don’t know what a particular field is because you may not be interested yet. We want students of all ages to know of the opportunities,” Bhaganagar said in a statement.
This summer, CAMEE will be participating in an all-girls STEM summer camp organized by North Independent School District called STEM Sisters.
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