Exploring STEM

June 23 - 28

Campers Entering Grades 7-9 

Register Here!

This camp will give students two different options to explore how STEM is at work in the world around them.

Exploring STEM through Nature 

Get ready to get down and dirty while exploring natural habitats on the NIU campus and at the Afton Prairie (just 10 miles from the NIU campus). Campers will learn about habitat restoration, plant and animal identification, and how different species adapt to living near people. They’ll also learn things they can do at home to make the world a safer and healthier place for plants, animals, and ourselves. Sessions are led by faculty and students from NIU's interdisciplinary Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy.

Exploring STEM through Art 

Create, make, and innovate! Take your creations to the next level by investigating the science behind making cool art. Create wind-powered kinetic sculptures; use polarized light to create paintings with tape; animate your art digitally; color your world with laser spiro-graphs; explore the chemistry of color through tie-dye; learn the secrets of making cool pop-up cards. Sessions are led by NIU art and science faculty and students. Camp director Pati Sievert enjoys integrating art and science, a fun application of her degrees in Applied Design and Physics.

Note that both Exploring camps will live on the same residential hall floor, take meals together, and enjoy many of the same evening activities, including a trip to Davis Hall Observatory and bowling in the Huskie Den.