All through the summer, more than 300 elementary, middle and high school students from around the Midwest are experiencing what it’s like to be a student at University of Wisconsin-Stout.
In hands-on learning lab and studio experiences led by faculty and university students, they are discovering career paths in science, technology, engineering, and art and design during UW-Stout’s Summer STEAM Experience and Junior STEAM Experience.
The one- to two-week-long camps – several of them brand-new – highlight the value of creativity and critical thinking with activities in drones, genetics, construction, interior design and architecture, plastics engineering, entrepreneurship and more.
Two of the new camps for high school students – Robotics-Inspired STEAM Exploration (RISE) Camp and Unspooled Cinema Camp – introduced them not only to what a career in videography and engineering would be like but also gave them a glimpse into film festivals and youth robotics organizations.
“UW-Stout put together a fantastic program. As a parent, I was thrilled with the program’s organization, communication, facilities and services. We were also thoroughly impressed with the academic portion of the camps. We recommend STEAM camps to everyone we know,” said Nicole Anspach, whose two children attended this summer.
Registration for STEAM and Junior STEAM Experience is still open for upcoming camps. STEAM students showcase their projects on the final day of camp and share critiques and ideas.
Robotics-Inspired STEAM Exploration (RISE) Camp
Meanwhile, across campus in the Jarvis Hall Science Wing, robots in various stages of development roved up and down the hall. Five teams of RISE campers were led by UW-Stout engineering technology students Holly Hultman and Payton Eskildsen, and technology education student Ryder Bendixen.
Following Robits by AndyMark kit instructions, which are similar to an advanced LEGO kit, the teams constructed and customized motorized robots with retractable arms. They used REV Hardware block-based programming and created individually designed 3D-printed claws for the arms, with a goal to design the claws better than the provided kit, said Bendixen, of Mukwonago.
Hultman, of St. Michael, Minnesota; and Eskildsen, of Waupaca, built the RISE curriculum and were inspired by STEPS for Girls and FIRST Tech Challenge. The camp fosters curiosity, innovation and inclusivity in STEAM. It was pilot-tested by middle and high school students from UW-Stout’s First Robotics team, STORM, last spring semester.
With the help of Cassie Kopp, UW-Stout’s photo and video minor adviser, the teams used Canva to craft branding and logos. They learned simple webpage development and media skills, documented their design journey with photos and videos, and created graphic designs for social media posts to market their brands.
Bendixen designed the campers’ final competition. The five teams were assigned a series of color-coded game pieces placed within a 12-by-12-foot arena. They maneuvered their robots around obstacles, using the claws to collect as many pieces as they could and then deposit the pieces in a designated bin.
One team, branded The Gear Heads, designed a longer claw than what the kit offered, with a goal to extend their robot’s reach farther than the original design. They also added a scalloped design to the inner edge of the claw and an arrow-shaped point at the end for an added pincer feature.
The Gear Heads – Leo Rice from McKinley Tech High School, Aiden Pickard from Glenwood City High School, and Mason Hamlin from Grantsburg High School – tested the claws’ grip on Aiden’s phone and recorded a short video of their success. They learned, however, that moving the robot with the programmed joystick takes a little finesse, as Aiden popped a wheely with it and the robot flipped backward.
“I really wanted to give robotics a try. I hadn’t thought about marketing before, but it’s a valuable skill, too,” Leo said.
A second team – Terra-Bit Foundations – took on the challenge of adding color sensors to their robot, when Bendixen gave the teams the option to use more advanced programming elements. The team was Mathew Snavely from Menomonie, Henry Krall from Madison West, Henry Behnke from Eau Claire, and Jasper Gonyea from Elk Mound. They added rubber bands to the Terra-Bit’s claws for added grip.
“Hopefully, in the competition, the sensor sees the color we tell it to, and the claw recognizes which game pieces to pick up. If a different color appears in front of the sensor, it won’t detect the piece, and the claw won’t extend,” said Mathew.
This is Mathew’s fourth summer attending a STEAM camp, but the RISE camp is his first robotics experience. “The block-based programming is paired with Java, but it’s simpler. The visual program is easier to read than the script,” he said.
Unspooled Cinema Camp
Equipped with industry-standard tools and techniques, 10 students brought their short films to life on the big screen in the Unspooled Film & Animation Camp. The camp is inspired by UW-Stout’s annual Unspooled Film and Animation Festival, a juried event featuring films and animations by regional and international independent storytellers.
Led by video production Assistant Professor Jonathan Wheeler, they began by writing narratives and learning video production fundamentals, like shooting, editing and lighting effects.
They then planned and composed shots before stepping in front of the green screen in the Motion Capture Studio in Micheels Hall. Their films blended live action, animation, and motion graphics, and were screened on the last day of the camp.
While UW-Stout has hosted video-related STEAM camps in the past, this was the first year these camps carried the “Unspooled” name and delved so deeply into both video production and 2D animation, Wheeler said.
Wheeler aimed to get the students to think like designers who would learn the technical skills needed to pursue a creative process rather than simply waiting around for inspiration to strike. “Students need only a story to tell. If they have an interest in sharing their unique perspectives with an audience, then we can help them craft an engaging story. I want them to make a thing they can take with them,” and potentially enter in a film festival, Wheeler said.
“I want Stout to be a place that generates a creative community,” he added.
And a creative community coalesced among the Unspooled camp participants. Teddy Fountain, from Chicago, worked with two other students on a comedic short called “Hamster War,” in which an owner’s failure to feed his pets leads to dire consequences. Fountain said he enjoyed learning about “the beginning processes of coming up with an idea, and also how to use professional software,” such as Adobe Premiere and Toon Boom.
“They have really nice tech in the room,” added Denim Schemenauer, from Eau Claire, who was collaborating on the film with Fountain and Jack Pick, also of Eau Claire. “I’ve never drawn on a tablet used for drawing, which is really nice.”
Elsewhere in the lab, another trio worked on a short film called “Panic Attack,” which interpreted its title with a blend of moody live-action and animation featuring shadowy, silhouetted creatures.
One of the “Panic Attack” filmmakers, Asher Angus-Huebner from Eau Claire, attended a different STEAM camp at UW-Stout the previous summer. This year, Angus-Huebner signed up for Unspooled to explore her artistic interests. “I want a career in art, I just don’t know what my thing is yet,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to try animation because I think it’s just such an interesting and unique thing.”
One of her collaborators, Emily Paul, from Germantown, had a similar goal for the camp. “I know I want to do something with art, but there are multiple fields that involve art, and I just want to narrow it down,” she said.
UW-Stout’s STEAM camps are sponsored by the Menomonie, Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire school districts; Parker; and the Xcel Energy Foundation, in partnership with Continuing Education and Conferences, a unit of Educational Pathways and Outreach.
UW-Stout Athletics is offering multiple summer youth sports camps led by university coaches, staff and student athletes. Camps include basketball, football, flag football, gymnastics, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, track, volleyball and dance.
Stout Adventures’ Youth Climbing League offers introductory activities, designed to empower kids ages 6 to 12. Experienced instructors lead activities for all skill levels. An upcoming session is scheduled for Tuesdays and Wednesdays and will be held from July 22 to Aug. 27.
Photos
RISE Robotics campers, Terra-Bit Foundation team members Mathew Snavely, Henry Krall, Henry Behnke and Jasper Gonyea
RISE Robotics campers, Terra-Bit Foundations team members, Henry Behnke and Jasper Gonyea, adjust the claw on their robot
RISE Robotics campers, Gear Heads team members Aiden Pickard, Leo Rice and Mason Hamlin
The Gear Heads test their robot’s movements and claw strength on a plastic block
Unspooled instructor Jonny Wheeler and campers Jack Pick, Denim Schemenauer and Teddy Fountain in the Motion Capture Lab
