In late June, the UNC Greensboro School of Education was the home to the Find Your STEM, Shape Your Future camp. Through funding from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), this camp welcomed 32 rising seventh, eighth, and ninth grade girls from Guilford County School.
The Find Your STEM camp immerses students in hands-on, inquiry-based, project-based, and problem-based learning experiences that spark their curiosity and creativity. Designed for female students, the camp broadens access to STEM education and encourages participants to explore, create, and tackle real-world problems. Through peer mentoring and collaborative teamwork, students build confidence and strengthen their STEM identity by working through challenges.
Dr. Hamid Nadir of the Department of Information, Library, and Research Sciences led the effort to hold this camp at UNCG. With research interests around STEM education, he was able to collaborate with the AAUW to facilitate a 2024 camp. That inspired Nadir to organize the Find Your STEM experience.
He said, “In partnership with Laura Tew, AAUW North Carolina STEM Education Chair, along with the Dean of the School of Education, AAUW volunteers, and UNCG colleagues, we worked to develop a STEM summer camp specifically for middle school girls. We believe this targeted approach is essential for supporting identity development during these formative years. Through this collaborative effort, we successfully launched the Find Your STEM camp.”
Over the course of the week, campers participated in activities such as design challenges, collaborative problem solving, and an exploration of areas such as chemistry, biology, astronomy, cybersecurity and AI, 3D printing, game design, and robotics.
Research shows that girls often face challenges with access to STEM education. Nadir hopes camps such as this one help eliminate some of those obstacles, saying, “It is essential that both girls and boys are encouraged to engage in STEM fields and contribute meaningfully to the future workforce. Therefore, I believe we have a responsibility to provide intentional opportunities and resources that support girls’ STEM identity development and help foster a more balanced STEM landscape.”
The Find Your STEM camp allowed students to have an experience that went beyond technical skill development and build connections with peers. Strong support from participants and their families made the inaugural event a success, and organizers plan to offer similar camps in the coming years.
Nadir said, “We hope this inaugural camp will serve as a strong foundation for future STEM initiatives. Moving forward, we aim to develop a robust STEM curriculum, expand our programming, and engage more School of Education faculty in these efforts.”
Photos provided by Dr. Hamid Nadir and the Find Your STEM camp
