Windy Shao

windysjf@hotmail.com

For most kids in Shenzhen, this summer holiday is somewhat different as they cannot easily travel abroad or even locally because of COVID-19.

In response, summer camps featuring international study and STEM are now gaining in popularity.

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

STEM blends those subjects in order to teach new skills and tools students need to have if they wish to succeed in the workplace of the future.

The STEM acronym was introduced in 2001 by scientific administrators at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The organization previously used the acronym SMET when referring to the career fields in those disciplines or a curriculum that integrated knowledge and skills from those fields. However, in 2001 American biologist Judith Ramaley, then assistant director of education and human resources at NSF, rearranged the words to form the STEM acronym.

Since then, STEM-focused curriculum has been extended to many countries beyond the United States, with programs developed in places such as Australia, China, France, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

At an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) summer camp at Bromsgrove School Mission Hills in Longhua District last week, 14-year-old Meng Chun said she learned how to assemble a UAV and joined teams for UAV competitions.

This is only the beginning for her interest. “After the summer camp, our team will continue our activity,” she said.

Organizers said all the summer camps featuring different themes include theoretical and experimental lessons and physical education classes.

For example, kids who are interested in outer space can join a camp to learn about space food and nutrition, and participate in making freeze-dried foods for astronauts as well as other hands-on activities to know more.

As Albert Einstein said, “The greatest scientists are artists as well”; students can also explore art through the STEM summer camps.

All summer camps are short term, lasting about a week. “We are not just trying to train their skills, but also to find out their interests and offer suggestions on their future development,” said an organizer at the school.