STEMTank SUMMER pROGRAM

The first annual STEMTank program was a three-week engineering design summer camp offered online by the Santa Fe College (SFC) TRIO Program in partnership with the MERGE Laboratory in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE) department at the University of Florida (UF). STEMTank’s 11 participants were students from North-Central Florida high schools served by SFC TRIO, which includes schools located in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged regions. The camp was funded through an Educational Talent Search grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

STEMTank borrowed elements from the popular ‘Shark Tank’ television show. The program challenged high school participants to complete an engineering design process by 1) identifying a problem in their community, 2) designing a solution using BlocksCAD software, 3) working with UF MAE college student mentors to refine the design, 4) 3D printing prototypes, and 5) communicating results to the community. For their final reveal, participants showcased their products “In The Tank” via Zoom for a panel of “Sharks”: SFC and UF faculty, staff, and industry representatives.

incugator stem summer day camp

The IncuGator STEM summer day camp engages Alachua Country high school students in open-ended, immersive, hands-on learning experiences emphasizing the ‘E’ in STEM: Engineering. This program, staffed by UF engineering students, empowers us to fulfill UF’s mission to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit. Through the IncuGator day camp, we positively influence Alachua County high school students by creating personal connections and motivating their matriculation into college STEM majors and STEM careers that benefit Florida and the nation.