Now in its fourth year, Camp EAGER continued to expand its reach this summer. An experimental summer camp developed by researchers at the William & Mary School of Education, it explores innovative ways to encourage more students from underrepresented groups to pursue STEM careers.
An experimental summer camp developed by researchers at the William & Mary School of Education, now in its second year, is exploring innovative ways to encourage more students from underrepresented groups, primarily girls and youth of color, to pursue STEM careers. Camp EAGER, directed by Meredith Kier, associate professor of science education; Lindy Johnson, associate professor of English education; and Janise Parker, assistant professor of school psychology, aims to Elevate engineering, Advance innovation, Guide Learning, Effect change, and Remove barriers for all.
Thanks to a grant from the Dean's Innovation Fund, established in 2020 through a gift from the Jennings family, middle-schools students from Newport News Public Schools gathered on the W&M campus for a week-long camp to explore engineering design challenges. The camp is designed to inspire an interest in the STEM fields among students from underrepresented backgrounds and prepare them to work collaboratively and communicate effectively.
EAGER Project Spotlight: Brandie & Esther
We are back in Lancaster County to continue our partnership for deeper learning. Selected teacher leaders from grades K-8 worked with us to create a cohesive district scope and sequence guide and unit resources in English Language Arts and Math, with opportunities for deeper learning and project-based instruction.
CILD co-director Dr. Meredith Kier was awarded a $300,000 Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to design and develop a novel research-practitioner partnership between Newport News Public School teachers, undergraduate engineering fellows from the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and undergraduate students from William & Mary.