Creative Sparks: Memorable Moments from BPM's 2024 STEAM Summer Camp
Howdy, folks!
We had an AMAZING pilot program of the Bellevue Passage Museum STEAM Summer Camp, and we are so thankful for a wonderful week with our students! Over four days, campers were immersed in various projects specifically designed to align with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) career paths and completed several hands-on projects. The impact of these experiences on our students was truly inspiring.
Shout out to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 4H Extension, BAAM, and silent partners with the United States Coast Guard for supporting this program. 4H generously loaned us iPads and laptops to support programming and provided swag bags and snacks to campers and staff. BAAM merged our program with their summer-long camp program to increase enrollment and allowed us to use their van for camper pick-up and drop-off.
Thank you Camp Volunteers!
A huge and heartfelt thanks to all of the camp staff who volunteered their time as pod leaders for the week, including Eric Flickinger, Director of Geospatial Services at Earth Data and Bellevue, Maryland resident; Kiara Brummell, Docent at Waters Edge Museum in Oxford; Mario Threats, Information Technology Business Owner and Bellevue, Maryland resident; and Drs. Dennis and Mary De Shields, M.D., Founders of Bellevue Passage Museum. Thank you to Jamico Moon, BAAM's Facilities Director, for driving the bus and ensuring students got to and from camp safely. Camp wouldn't have happened without you donating your time, talents, and energy to this program. I am endlessly thankful for your generosity. ❤️
✨ Now, let's dive into all the exciting things we accomplished at camp! ✨
Monday: Molecular Chemistry and Exploring Artificial Intelligence
We kicked off camp by handing out the swag bags that the UMES 4H Extension provided to campers and staff. After a short orientation, we jumped right into our first activity: exploring how atoms come together to form molecules! Using magnetic 3D models, students joined different atoms, scanned them, and discovered what they created. In addition to the basics of making the molecules for Water (H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and Oxygen (O2), our campers engaged in some friendly competition to see what they could discover and found Formonitile Sodium (CHNNa), Trideuteriomethane (CH3), Sodium Nitroxyl Anion (NNaO), and Acetaldehyde (H3CoH) as well! Thanks to Dr. Mary, a chemistry major, for helping us learn how to pronounce these molecules.
We finished the day experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI). First, students researched and selected a specific art movement or artist that appealed to the group. Then, they selected a favorite comic book, superhero, or anime character as a group. After that, we collaborated as a group to create prompts for Chat GPT's DALL-E, an AI image-generating program, to combine pop culture selections with classic art movements. The lesson focused on how accurate descriptions enhanced DALL-E's output and explored AI's current limitations. Don't worry, parents and teachers; we spent some time discussing how to use AI ethically and responsibly. Check out some of our creations below!
Tuesday: Writing/Coding Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Stories and Exploring Robotics
Choose-your-own-adventure stories are books that give you a scenario and allow you to decide by jumping to a specific page number. It's the system many video games are built on with narrative branches, and this method of storytelling is called "interactive fiction”. On Tuesday, campers read some CYOA adventure books as a pod before breaking into pairs to write a story of their own with a fellow camper. They created their story using Twine -- an easy-to-use engine that allows stories to be tested and played in real-time.
After campers wrote their stories, we played through each one as a class and voted on decisions to navigate branching narratives. From Snoop Dogg and Tupac getting bit by zombies to a high school student trying to decide whether to go to college or enter pro sports, we had a creative variety of topics and approaches.
After lunch, we introduced campers to Ozobots! These adorable little robots need to be coded to complete different movements, and students programmed their machines using color-coded commands on paper. Each group devised various solutions to navigate Ozobot through a specific activity.
Thursday: A Guest Visit from BriKym Studios
On Thursday, we welcomed Brian Ollison and Kym Pressley to camp! They came up from Atlanta to discuss creating mobile multiplayer games featuring diverse characters as Cofounders of BriKym Studios. For the day, Brian and Kym led the campers in an exercise to code their own top-down fantasy shooter game using Construct 3. Under their direction, campers created a functioning mini-game by the end of the day.
In addition to making the trip, Brian and Kym generously donated two Dell 5500 laptops to Bellevue Passage Museum to support our efforts to secure technology for future programs! We are grateful for the insight and good vibes you shared with campers and staff. 🙏🏽
Tom Hutson from UMES 4H, and Dr. Bell and Xavier from BAAM stopped by to say hello! We also heard from architect Philip Logan about what it's like to be an architect, how to read architectural drawings, and what the Bellevue Passage Museum will look like as his team designs its future site.
Friday: Graphic Design and Geographic Information Systems
We kept Friday morning nice and chill with some graphic design! Each pod designed a logo, and Ariel from UMES 4H Extension helped campers bring their designs to life to customize camp t-shirts! Campers could add a unique spin to their camp t-shirts using the Cricut smart-printing machine and a heat press.
We spent our last afternoon at camp traveling the globe with Camp Staff Volunteer Eric Flickinger. He led us through an exercise that allowed campers to find latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates for places they wanted to visit, add them to a database, and then chart it in real time using Google Earth. From Ukraine and Kyoto to Easter Island and Bellevue, campers learned about different places worldwide and why they were of interest.
And that wrapped our week at camp! It was a joy to see campers light up as they each found an activity that resonated with them, and we hope the week created some sparks that campers will continue to pursue.
I'd be remiss if I ended this post without giving a shout-out to Humble Hearts Catering. Chef Alicia and her team kept us well-fed with delicious meals and treats throughout the week!
Thank you again to everyone who helped make camp a huge success. We'll see you again in 2025!
With high-fives and good vibes 🙌🏽
— Kat, Camp Director/Director of Programming