Commotion and camaraderie!

Friday, June 14, 2024

Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

“Look outside!” said Lanette, our office admin, while looking out the window of our second-floor office with a smile. “I know,” I said. “I have been hearing all the commotion.” You see, our summer camps, our wonderful summer camps, are underway and hundreds of school “kids” from near and far corners of the world will spend part of their summer experiencing university life on our campus in our STEM-focused summer camps. They learn about engineering, teamwork and leadership and have a ton of fun along the way.

To provide context, our able K-12 STEM Center team is gearing up to have at least five new additional camps in 2025, continuing to increase both summer camp capacity and camp offerings every year. Offerings this summer include the ever-popular Jackling Introduction to Engineering along with camps focused on amusement park design, making movies, art, explosives, chemistry, electricity, space, leadership and more. Attendance at summer camp opens up the world of STEM to young students, but also introduces many of them to S&T for the first time – leading to STEM studies and STEM career consideration.

Thanks to our sponsors such as the National Science Foundation and the Kummer Institute Foundation, along with the support from Boeing, NASA, SDI, Doe Run, and Oxy, and the support of faculty, students, staff and the community, we have been able to keep the cost of participation at a minimum. In fact, thanks to philanthropic contributions, a significant number of our summer camp students come from modest economic backgrounds and could not afford these awesome learning opportunities without scholarships. In some cases, the students come from families with extreme housing and financial problems. Many could not have participated without partial or full support. “The scholarship lightened my financial burden and made this camp come true,” said one student. Another student, who is the fifth of seven children, said, “I would not have been able to afford this opportunity if it weren’t for the scholarship.”

Interestingly, and not surprisingly, the rate of conversion of our summer camp participants to S&T students is extraordinary. The “yield” of campers who choose S&T for college is the highest of any other group. The student testimonials of their experiences are heartwarming and remarkable: “Ever since I walked through the door, I knew this was where I belong.” “This has been the best summer ever.” “My interaction with S&T faculty and students was awesome, and I made great friends.” “I will be submitting my application this fall to Missouri S&T to study civil engineering.” “I am looking forward to going back to the S&T campus to experience the engineering program.” “It is a glimpse into the life and career that I think I would like to follow.” “I had no idea what I wanted to do or what I wanted to become. Thanks to my two camps, I know exactly what I would like to be.”

As I watch our young summer campers – and I watch them often when they are horsing around during their breaks – I wonder if they realize that they are finding the purposes that will ultimately define their lives. I wonder if they realize that this teenage experience is a part of the tectonic mental shift that is happening as they gain ability to learn, adapt and respond. I wonder if they envision their bright future while establishing camaraderie and make the most of their summer camp moments. And I wonder if they realize that the future is theirs to make and own.

Then, I quietly ponder, how I wish I could see them decades from now when they have become successful rainmakers and ask about all the commotion and camaraderie of the summer camps of 2024. How I wish I could invite them to share their path to success in ways that they can and must only imagine now. In the meantime, all of us here at S&T enjoy watching their inquisitiveness, year after year, over and over, and bask in the commotion that begins anew every summer.

And, finally, to every father, happy Father’s Day. May you enjoy the day in ways big and small!

Warmly,

-Mo.

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Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu