Category: KCKCC

by Kelly Rogge
Registration is being accepted for the week-long summer camp at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Camp Invention is designed as a way for elementary school students to explore, tinker with ideas and be creative.

There are two sessions this summer. The first is July 14 to 18 at the KCKCC Main Campus, 7250 State Ave. The second is July 21 to 25 at the KCKCC-Leavenworth campus. Each session is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and tuition is $199. Discounts are available. Campers need to bring a sack lunch each day.

“Camp Invention is an amazing weeklong summer adventure where students entering grades one through six will brainstorm, tinker, create and invent without limits,” said Kylie Williamson, coordinator of community education for KCKCC. “Camp Invention allows kids to use their imagination while learning scientific principles.”

KCKCC has served as host of Camp Invention, a national program, since 2008. Students who participate will use real tools, circuits and materials from the Inventor Supply Room to build their own original prototypes. They work in teams to rotate among different modules, allowing them to build upon what they learned the previous day.

All activities are centered on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts. It is the only nationally- accredited summer enrichment day experience for elementary-aged children and is led by local certified educators. The program was first started in 1990 and since has served more than 1,200 sites in 49 states.

“They will create a personalized motor-powered vehicle and take apart electronics to construct an insect-themed pinball machine,” Williamson said. “I hope children learn new concepts and are inspired by inventors whose inventions have changed the world, all while having a blast building and creating things.”

For more information or to register, call 913-288-7660. Registration can also be completed by going to the KCKCC website, www.kckcc.edu and selecting “Continuing Education.” Select “Continuing Education Schedule” and Personal Growth under Youth Programs.

Information about Camp Invention can be found at campinvention.org.

by Kelly Rogge
Kansas City Kansas Community College is the recipient of three grants that will go toward funding its long-running Saturday Academy program.

More than 150 students in middle and high school from the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools participated in the Saturday Academy during the 2013-2014 academic year.

The academy was originally founded in 1999 to increase minority involvement in the health and science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers. Ninety-six percent of the more than 200 academy graduates have entered colleges and universities, with 68 percent choosing careers as STEM majors.

The Saturday Academy is part of a bigger program called the KCKCC Urban Academy. This program includes a Youth Leadership and Development Corps and a Summer Science Residential Academy at the University of Kansas, along with the Saturday Academy.

“Almost 300 students apply for a spot in the Saturday Academy every year,” said Edward Kremer, dean of the Division of Mathematics, Science and Computer Technology at KCKCC. “We see this as a pipeline to get students into college. Of the students that graduate from the Saturday Academy, they receive between $150,000 and $500,000 in scholarships, sometimes even more than that.”

KCKCC was awarded a $25,000 grant through the Kansas Health Foundation’s Recognition Grants program. The Recognition Grants program expands the Kansas Health Foundation’s support to a broad range of health-related organizations throughout the state of Kansas.

The program targets organizations and agencies that propose meaningful and charitable projects or initiatives that fit within the foundation’s mission of improving health in Kansas. The foundation provided approximately $1.2 million to 66 different projects this grant cycle. Any tax-exempt, nonprofit organization using the money for charitable purposes and proposing a project that meets the foundation’s mission is eligible.

The second grant was awarded by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City. The $45,000 grant will go toward operation costs of the six-week summer camp at KU. The camp is for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors and allows them to participate in research projects and internships in cooperation with the University of Kansas Medical Center. Instruction is given in math, science, language arts and computer technology and students have the opportunity to go on field trips and participate in college test preparation while at KU.

“This is a six week, residential stay camp at KU where the students do enrichment and college-prep type of work in math and science,” Kremer said. “This grant is the reason we are able to still offer the KU program this summer.”

The final grant is a $2,500 grant from DST Systems, which will also go toward the operation of the Saturday Academy. KCKCC has received this grant for the last several years.

“In the last 15 years, we have graduated more than 250 kids who have come through our pipeline,” Kremer said. “In addition, more than 454 teachers have participated, either from USD 500 or the community college. It is a terrific opportunity for students and continues to be a great way to get students interested in the STEM fields.”

For more information about the Kansas Health Foundation, visit www.kansashealth.org. For more information on the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, visit hcfgkc.org/. For more information on KCKCC’s Saturday Academy, contact Edward Kremer at 913-288-7111 or email [email protected].

Kelly Rogge is the supervisor of public information at KCKCC.

by Kelly Rogge

High school students in Kansas City, Kan., spent the last few weeks exploring career fields in the biological sciences during Kansas City Kansas Community College’s annual Bio-Science Camp.

This is the fifth year for the camp, which is a joint effort between KCKCC, PrepKC and the Kansas City, Kansas School District. The goal of the three week camp is to introduce students to the biological sciences through hands-on projects and classes. About 32 students participated in the camp this year, which ended June 19.

“The purpose is to help students take an interest in science by helping them to explore the different fields,” said Jeff McFarlane, an adjunct professor at KCKCC and a teacher at Harmon High School. “I love seeing the students share what they have learned with adults. That is probably my favorite part of the camp.”

The Bio-Science Camp is a multi-year program, which allows students to attend beginning with the summer after their freshman year of high school. They are then able to attend each year until the summer following their high school graduation. An event the last day of the camp allowed families to visit KCKCC to see different demonstrations and attend a closing reception for the students involved in the program.

“The idea of this camp is to help get students college credit before they graduate high school,” said Ed Kremer, dean of mathematics science and computer technology at KCKCC. “They get an introduction to biological science as well as biological manufacturing, which is helpful to those students who have an interest in these fields and careers.”

Kremer said the program is important because of the concentration of animal health interests in this region. Known as the KC Animal Health Corridor, a large portion of the world’s animal health industry sits between Manhattan, Kan., and Columbia, Mo. This makes jobs in the area plentiful.

“There is an increased need for students who have an interest in the bio-science fields,” Kremer said. “That is what this camp is designed to do – give them a glimpse of the careers in the biological sciences and give them the tools they need to move in that direction.”

For more information on KCKCC”s Bio-Science Camp, contact 913-288-7111 or email [email protected].
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.