This summer, the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) collaborated with partners across campus to host and facilitate summer camps designed to inspire the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) exploration and discovery for middle and high school students. 

"Hosting summer camps is a vital opportunity for the School to engage young minds with the fascinating world of STEM,” said Laura Sams Haynes, ECE director of outreach. “It inspires a genuine passion for exploration and problem-solving. Having these camps at Georgia Tech grants campers unparalleled access to some of the best STEM activities and experts not only in the region, but also across the country and the world.” 

Learning to Problem Solve Creatively 

On June 27-29, 2023, the inaugural Design.Thinking@ECE residential summer camp hosted nineteen rising tenth and eleventh graders from mostly Atlanta-metro high schools. Participating schools included Benjamin E. Mays (1 student), Booker T. Washington (4 students), Charles R. Drew Charter (11 students), Kennesaw Mountain (1 student), Martin Luther King (1 student), and Smithfield-Selma (North Carolina; 1 student).  

The camp was designed by Haynes and Sirocus Barnes, the director of expanded learning programs in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). 

During the camp, students participated in group projects that applied design thinking principles — a human-centered and iterative approach to innovative problem-solving that emphasizes empathy, collaboration, and creativity.  

Campers boarded overnight in Fulmer Hall and experienced campus life enjoying meals at Brittain dining hall and West Village dining commons. During the day, students participated in projects like designing a cardboard chair, soldering materials in electronic engineer's James Steinberg’s lab, and programming a robotic car. The students also explored the ECE Hive Makerspace and the Robotarium. 

Parents of the high schoolers were invited to observe final showcase presentations on the last day of camp and participated in a Q&A panel discussion featuring lead camp counselor, ECE Ph.D. student Christian Ford, who developed the Design.Thinking@ECE.GT project-based curriculum, and undergraduate camp counselors Alana Burrell (ECE), Marquetta Griffin (George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering), Scott-Anthony Ray (ECE), and Hadley Williams (ECE). 

Students from predominantly metro-Atlanta high schools exploring the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta during the inaugural Design.Thinking@ECE residential summer camp.

Inspiring Future Female STEM Leaders 

During the summer, ECE also supported the STEM Gems Summer Camp held on the Georgia Tech-Atlanta campus on June 26-30, 2023. The program immersed 50 metro-Atlanta middle school girls from diverse backgrounds in the world of STEM. During the stay, campers toured labs, participated in research activities, and interacted with accomplished female faculty members and graduate students.  

The STEM Gems Summer Camp structure revolved around various STEM themes, exposing campers to caeer topics such as biotechnology, cybersecurity, economics, electrical engineering, geophysics, planetary science, robotics, and virtual reality.

ECE supported the STEM Gems Summer Camp held on the Georgia Tech-Atlanta campus. Fifty metro-Atlanta middle school girls from diverse backgrounds toured labs, participated in research activities, and interacted with Georgia Tech leaders and faculty members.

The camp experience was inspired by the “STEM Gems” book written by Stephanie Espy, founder and CEO of MathSP, an academic and test prep coaching service. The book features 44 women STEM leaders of today, each with different goals, paths, and aspirations, and each within their own unique STEM field.

The STEM Gems Summer Camp was a collaborative effort between Espy, Haynes, Lakeita Servance, education outreach manager in the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. 

Looking ahead, Haynes envisions ECE's role in summer camps extending its reach next year. This strategic expansion aims to provide a larger number of young students an avenue to enrich their comprehension of STEM subjects while forming important academic relationships.