At a summer camp where community comes first, STEM education thrives

Sometimes engaging students in math and science means hands-on experiments and projects. Other times, it simply means asking how they’re doing that day. At SMASH Academy, it’s both. Here, high school students participate in five weeks of science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) lessons. They live on a college campus and in the evenings have opportunities to meet with mentors and professionals in a variety of science and technology careers. Then they come back and repeat the process for two more summers and once a month on Saturdays throughout the school year.The program, which is free, aims to increase diversity in STEM fields by primarily serving students who identify as African-American, Latino, Native American or Pacific Islander. Although all students can apply, the majority of students in the program will be the first in their families to attend college and those who are from low-income families.