DOWAGIAC — At Southwestern Michigan College’s STEM Camp, fourth through sixth graders were not just students for the day. They were chemists, coders, engineers and mathematicians, as they traveled in groups of 20 and completed activities in four different classrooms.

For the third year in a row, SMC’s free STEM Camp is challenging students to develop essential 21st Century skills including: problem solving, collaborative teamwork, critical thinking, communication and creativity Tuesday through Thursday.

Andrew Dohm, the SMC STEM advisor, engaged students in an activity Tuesday to get them thinking about a structure’s durability during hurricane season. With provided materials of tape, pipe cleaners, index cards, popsicle sticks and straws, students designed freestanding structures that had to hold the weight of a tennis ball while withstanding three different fan speeds, which simulated high winds of a hurricane.

“I think each year, [the camp] has built more and more traction,” Dohm said. “The STEM movement has been around for a long time. It’s starting to trickle down more to the elementary grades.”

At the camp, students went to four different classrooms, each dedicated to a different letter in STEM. For science, students entered the chemistry lab and made chemical reactions using vinegar and baking soda. For the technology aspect, students logged onto code.org with provided laptops and learned about computer science and how to write programs. In engineering, it was building structures and learning about the design process. To incorporate math, students played fraction bingo.

All three days of the camp are filled with 80 students, and a waitlist has developed, Dohm said. Since Dohm became an instructor, he realized there are benefits to keeping smaller class sizes, especially since students must complete hands-on activities in the 50 minute workshops.

“If we can serve 240 students over the course of three days, that’s really great,” Dohm said. “It’s giving these students the opportunity to come in, come to campus, to get into our classrooms and to interact with teachers, who teach math and science.”

College and high school students also help at the camp with restocking classrooms and giving students’ directions during activities. Students hail from many different areas to participate in the camp.

“You’d be amazed where I’m drawing from,” Dohm said. “Vicksburg, Lakeshore, northern Indiana. It’s quite a wide geographic region, well beyond our district here of SMC.  I love to see that. It means the word has spread out.”

Dohm said while some students will be attending their first year of STEM camp this week, others are returning for their second or third year. Some students will recruit friends from their school or siblings and other family members.

The Bosch Community Fund, which was awarded as a grant last November, provided Michiana elementary students with continued engagement in workshops and activities in science, technology, engineering and math, without having to pay fees.

Dohm said the camp has a strong turnout of girls, who are typically underrepresented in STEM careers, such as engineering. He wants to see students use their schooling and different backgrounds to work together and learn more about STEM.

“We need bright minds to solve some of these problems, and to pursue careers in math and science,” Dohm said. “I’m glad we can offer this opportunity.”