ASCENT summer STEM internship: Building STEM curiosity among local Appalachian children

This summer, students at Ohio University were given the opportunity to apply for a summer STEM internship supported by the Ohio University ASCENT ecosystem.

STEM interns were connected to a variety of local camps, workshops and youth programs to deliver STEM activities to spark youth curiosity in STEM fields. The internship ran through July and provided interns with the background knowledge of the region and the tools needed to deliver the programming to regional youth.

This was the first year the internship was offered; it included seven undergraduate students and two graduate students. After the initial week of training and exploration of the region and its resources, students crafted their own STEM activities referencing a set of evidence-based curricula and created their own lesson outlines that included learning objectives and outcomes.

In week one of the internship, ASCENT partner institution Hocking College invited the interns to Crooksville Middle School to assist with FlexFactor, a STEM, flexible electronics and entrepreneurial enrichment program.

“It was really rewarding seeing the interns learn about Southeastern Ohio, then seeing them use that knowledge and their STEM knowledge in authentic moments with Appalachian youth,” ASCENT Project Manager Christopher Quolke said.

Emily Dietz, a rising senior double-majoring in meteorology and geology, applied for the ASCENT internship because she wanted to demonstrate that STEM doesn’t necessarily have to be as intimidating as it seems.

“When I found the internship, I was really excited. I saw it as an opportunity to show kids that STEM doesn’t just mean robotics and engineering, it’s so much more,” Dietz said.

Once armed with their programs the STEM interns began their summer working with Fairfield County Workforce Center with eight STEM camps as well as OHIO’s Kids on Campus program, partnering with these organizations to provide intern-led near peer activities where interns demonstrated STEM activities such as working with VEX robots, creating keyboards out of bananas, copper etching, making semiconductor s’mores, and more.

Dietz was especially moved by the opportunity to work with Kids on Campus and indicated it was one of her favorite memories from the summer.

“It was this moment where I saw how really engaged and excited these kids were to do the activities, and it clicked,” said Dietz. “All that background information and understanding of the region and my own knowledge and experiences came together to help these kids see STEM as an attainable field. I knew then that we were doing something right.”

Activities were not only held on Ohio University’s Athens Campus; interns also traveled to various places inside and outside the county to deliver their STEM content and assist organizations catering to youth during the summer. The time traveling around southeastern Ohio gave them the opportunity to not only grow in their understanding of southeastern Ohio but also gave them the opportunity grow closer together in their experience.

Brandon Petrie, a rising junior in the engineering and technology management program, spoke about the impact of getting this time to grow closer with the other interns and better understand his home state.

“My favorite memory from this summer was the time spent with the other interns,” Petrie said. “The dedicated time when we were traveling to various areas of southeastern Ohio in the Ohio University Honda Pilot gave me the opportunity to get to know and grow closer with my fellow interns. It made me feel closer to the STEM community at Ohio University and let me see how many things I had in common with other people in STEM fields.”

Kara Nemet, a rising senior studying computer science, was not originally going to apply for the internship, but the announcement for the internship focusing on STEM outreach caught her attention. A summer coding camp was the catalyst for her studying computer science and she was interested in providing that same spark to another person.

“I got hooked on computer science from that summer coding camp. I really hoped I would have the opportunity to provide the experience I had to another kid and this internship was the perfect opportunity,” said Nemet.

This outreach-focused internship enabled interns to gain experience working with other students in STEM fields whom they may not have met, and to help pass along their curiosity to the next generation of STEM students.

“I don’t really want it to end,” said Dietz. “I think STEM can be a lot of fun and I had a great time getting the opportunity to look at what I know and figure out how to translate that to the youth around here. To spark that curiosity and demonstrate that these kids can do it too, was really rewarding.”

Dietz was not the only intern to find the experience rewarding. She ended with offering a piece of advice to the next summer ASCENT interns, whoever they may be.

“I hope you all have as much fun as we have,” Dietz said. “You’ll never forget it.”

The Appalachian Semiconductor Education and Technical (ASCENT) Ecosystem is a grant-funded project in partnership with the Intel corporation, regional campuses, community colleges and technical schools to develop the new workforce needed for the manufacturing of semiconductors that will occur at the new Intel plant being built in Licking County.