The Southwestern Alliance for Girls’ Enrichment in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts/Humanities and Mathematics (SAGE STEAM) Camp at SWOSU recently had its biggest year yet.
Seventy-eight girls from 42 countries across Oklahoma attended the 2021 camps.
Four students from Weatherford attended this year: Kate Brooks, Delilah Johns, Piper Staggs and Alyssa Foust.
Typically, the week-long camp welcomes Oklahoma girls going into the eighth grade for workshops and a chance to connect with other women in STEAM careers. However, the camp was unable to be in-person last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Lori Gwyn, one of the camp’s organizers, said the team made the decision this year to invite girls who were chosen for the 2020 camp along with those chosen for the 2021 camp.
“I call it the camp which never ends, because even during camp we have to start thinking about writing grants and fundraising for the next year,” Gwyn said. “It’s a never ending process but we love it.”
Due to the large volume of campers, things had to be organized a bit differently from last year. This meant more small groups and fewer total workshops. However, it meant everyone had the opportunity to participate and prevented camp staff from being overwhelmed.
Workshop topics this year included pharmacy, coding, information security, microbiology, a soil invertebrate hunt, forensic DNA, a doll bungee jump exercise, macrocycle chemical synthesis.
Field trips were limited to local facilities and programs willing to travel to Weatherford.
Campers learned about the Artemis Generation, which plans to put the first woman and person of color on the moon, at the Stafford Air and Space Museum. They also learned about the Blue Thumb Water Quality program at Deer Creek. Other locations included the Weatherford Pool and various buildings on campus.
The Oklahoma Blood Institute, USAO Alternative Energy Lab, former camper and entrepreneur Ella Dierlam brought activities to the campers. The SWOSU astronomy club also brought its telescopes out for campers.
Gwyn said integration of STEAM concepts is an important part of the camp. Students learned about the art of storytelling in video games, how to press flowers to make cards and the physics of color through theater lighting effects - all taught by SWOSU professors.
The girls also were able study ratio by converting a doll to human size, make their own journals and tie dye safety goggles.
Each group was responsible for coming up with a name and creating a banner. The six groups this year were Purple Reign, Pink Panthers, Mighty Ducks, Green Vines, Cuties and The Cyantists.
Another change this year was the STEAMentor Night. Typically, campers are paired one-on-one with a woman who works in a STEAM career. Due to the sheer number of campers this year, it was organized more like a job fair.
Gwyn said tables were color coded and girls could choose who they wanted to visit with based on their interests.
This year, camp organizers also launched the STEAM Educators pilot programs. Seven Oklahoma teachers who nominated their students for the STEAM camp were invited to the camp themselves. After attending the camp workshops, the teachers were sent back with ideas, supplies and $300 to integrate into their own classroom.