Weatherford, OK – Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) welcomed 38 sixth and seventh grade students from across western Oklahoma to campus for the inaugural SWOSU STEAM Dawg HOUSE Summer Academy on July 16. The one-day academy was held at the SWOSU Wellness Center and gave students a chance to work through STEAM activities with support from SWOSU faculty, students and community partners.

The academy was coordinated by SWOSU faculty and funded through support provided to SWOSU by Devon Energy. Engage Learning led the day’s two main workshops, STEAM City and Sports Lab, in collaboration with Devon Energy interns.

In STEAM City, students used design thinking, coding and engineering concepts to build a town for Ozobots. They worked together to plan, test and adjust their designs while addressing challenges built into the activity. In Sports Lab, students combined physical activity with data collection to study movement, performance and related scientific concepts.

Dr. Sarah Yount and Dr. Lisa Appeddu from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy served as lead coordinators for the academy. Dr. Krista Brooks from the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Shawna Ellis from the Department of Chemistry and Physics, and Dr. Jessica Salmans-Meditz from the Department of Language and Literature also assisted during the camp. SWOSU students Anna Christie, Maggie Larson and Lily Warnock helped guide students through the day’s activities.

The summer academy is part of SWOSU Dawg HOUSE Academy, a program that provides STEAM learning opportunities for P-12 students and educators in rural western Oklahoma. The program connects students with activities in areas such as engineering, aerospace and health-related fields.

For more information about SWOSU Dawg HOUSE Academy, visit https://www.swosu.edu/about/pre-college-programs/stem-dawg-house-academy/index.php.

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