This fall, the MCA hosted 4 stem camps for a total of 102 students! These students were from 3 different school districts and schools including Fabens Middle School, Parkland Middle School and Anthony Middle School. These STEM camps would not be possible without the grants from Workforce Solution Borderplex. The MCA STEM Innovation Lab camp consists of a tour of our state-of-the-art building, hands-on experiments that introduces them to STEM concepts, and career explorations that take them through the STEM field and the innovation ecosystem.

Students start their field trip by completing a brainstorming activity of all the careers they can think of related to STEM. After, they are given a tour of the Cardwell Collaborative and learn about the MCA and its various initiatives that are positively impacting our region’s economic development. The students are also introduced to the various startups and institutions that are doing cutting-edge research under the same roof. Throughout the day, students conduct exciting experiments and link them back to career opportunities in the region. Students also get the opportunity to create their own startup idea, in a process called game storming. Lastly, students are given the opportunity to add careers they learned about throughout the day to their initial list of healthcare careers; by this point students usually double their list!

The MCA is getting ready to launch more STEM camps and more FREE resources next year. The MCA STEM Innovation Lab fosters the awareness of the life sciences industry, higher education opportunities and workforce growth in the region to students. Offering students various opportunities, like the STEM camp allows them to become more knowledgeable about STEM concepts but most importantly it opens the door of possibilities for students and their future.

If you are interested in learning more about the STEM camps or scheduling a field trip to the Cardwell Collaborative Building, please visit our website at the link below: