ExxonMobil Sponsors Pasadena ISD Students and Teachers to Attend Tapia Camps at Rice

ExxonMobil Sponsors Pasadena ISD Students and Teachers to Attend Tapia Camps at Rice
Posted on 09/04/2019
This is the image for the news article titled ExxonMobil Sponsors Pasadena ISD Students and Teachers to Attend Tapia Camps at RiceBy Kristen Carter

This summer, 29 students and three teachers from Pasadena ISD attended Rice University’s prestigious and unique camps hosted by The Tapia Center for Excellence and Equity. Made possible through a grant from ExxonMobil, they joined more than 300 students and 50 teachers from across Texas and beyond for a week of engaging STEM projects and communication skill practice.

 

Say STEM Camp, which is sponsored by ExxonMobil, is available to rising 8th-12th graders and features a weeklong residential experience with a challenging STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum. Campers experiment with hands-on STEM projects, like building miniature wind turbines out of household items including glue, cardstock and popsicle sticks. At the same time, students enhance their communication skills by learning how to simplify complicated STEM ideas via graphic drawings and an end-of-camp oral presentation – all while experiencing life on a college campus.

 

The professional development camp for teachers of all subjects and levels provides participants the tools to implement project-based learning—a lesson-planning method that encourages hands-on, engaging experiences—in their classrooms. Teachers who complete the program earn Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours.

About the Tapia Center

The Richard Tapia Center for Excellence and Equity at Rice University was founded in 1995 to promote greater participation of underrepresented minorities and women in the sciences and engineering and empower them to be future leaders. The Center’s founder, Dr. Richard Tapia, is internationally known for his research in the computational and mathematical sciences and is a national leader in education and outreach.

 

Since inception, the Tapia Center has provided direct training and guidance to more than 6,000 students and 2,500 teachers and educated nearly 250,000 students and professionals about the importance of diversity and representation.