Science & Robotics Camps Give Students Options

Science and Robotics Camps Give Students Introduction to Future Class and Career Options
Posted on 08/02/2022
This is the image for the news article titled Science and Robotics Camps Give Students Introduction  to Future Class and Career OptionsScience and Robotics Camps Give Students Introduction to Future Class and Career Options

DENHAM SPRINGS, La. – They weren’t your grandfather’s science camps.

Livingston Parish students attending the Denham Springs STEM and Robotics Center’s “Mrs. Moore’s Science and Robotics All-Stars Camp” July 11-15 learned about the latest concepts in science through interactive, hands-on projects, including the building and competition of complex robots.

STEM Instructor and School Sponsor of the Denham Venom Robotics Team Daniel Eiland led the robotics sessions, which were open to students in Grades 4-6. The camp is named for Denham Springs High School Chemistry and Environmental Science Teacher Miranda Moore, who founded the annual event. Moore organized the camp and led the science sessions.

“These camps are a great way for students to really see first-hand what exciting doors our STEM courses can open for them,” Eiland said. “We know that the more kids ‘experience’ science, the less it becomes a class subject and the more it becomes a hobby and passion.”

Eiland said students had options to design their camp experience. They were given opportunities to explore different scientific disciplines with hand-on projects in biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and space. They also could dedicate time specifically to building and competing with the same robots that students at the high school use at the

STEM Center, as part of them class instruction. Students worked with metal, gears, wheels, bolts, and remote-control management of the features.

One camp session was held during the morning hours, from 9 a.m. to noon, while the second was held in the afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“We want students and their parents to have a good idea of what we offer, so when they enter high school, they can plan out their class schedules in a way that allows them dive into STEM learning right away,” STEM & Robotic Center Director Michael Simmons said.

“And any time we can introduce science concepts to students through practical applications, it just makes those concepts real, easier to understand and more exciting to explore,” Simmons said.

Simmons said more information about the center’s activities can be found at www.dsstem.org.

Lead photo: Fifth-grader Jude Combs shows off his remote-controlled robot that he created during the “Allstars Camp” at the Denham Springs STEM and Robotics Center. Students had the option to design their camp experience by focusing on robotics or participating in projects from various science disciplines.

Denham Springs Robotics Instructor Daniel Eiland supervises fourth-grader Aubrey Wainwright and sixth-grader Kenadie Richardson as they operate the robot they constructed at the “Allstars Camp” at the Denham Springs STEM and Robotics Center.
Denham Springs Robotics Instructor Daniel Eiland supervises fourth-grader Aubrey Wainwright and sixth-grader Kenadie Richardson as they operate the robot they constructed at the “Allstars Camp” at the Denham Springs STEM and Robotics Center.