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Pfeiffer University’s STEM camps program, aiming to recruit science students for Pfeiffer from the Stanly County area, will offer its first programs for rising 10th-12th graders when the camps begin June 15 at the university’s Misenheimer campus.

Registration has begun for all Falcon STEM Camps, including those for rising kindergarteners to ninth-graders. The registration deadline is May 15. (Falcon Stem Camps is the new name for the STEM camps program, replacing STEM Camps at Pfeiffer.)

Dr. Laura Lowder, an associate professor of education at Pfeiffer, directs the Falcon Stem Camps. She called the new camps for high school students “a preview to being a science student at Pfeiffer.”

“You work with expert Pfeiffer faculty in the labs,” she said. “You get a taste of what it would be like to be a STEM major here. We hope this will lead to more students enrolling at Pfeiffer to pursue science degrees. It’s also a super opportunity for our faculty to get to know particularly strong students whom they can recommend for merit-based scholarships.”

The camps for rising 10th-12th graders are called Experience STEM Majors Immersive Experience – Part I, a four-day session beginning June 15, and Experience STEM Majors Immersive Experience – Part II, a four-day session beginning June 22.

Part I focuses on biology and chemistry, with Dr. Kathryn Riley leading the biology labs and Dr. Jason Emory leading the chemistry ones. Part II focuses on biology and physics, with Dr. Laura Reichenberg leading the biology labs and Dr. Timothy Mode leading the physics ones.

Organizers of the immersive efforts stress they are for anyone wishing to learn more about science topics at the collegiate level and no prior experience with science is needed to participate. During the sessions, students may go on tours of Pfeiffer’s campus and meet with enrollment counselors.

As for the camps for students entering elementary school or middle school grades, two are new this summer: Physics for Toys and Field Biology.

Physics for Toys aims to teach students in grades 3-5 how to explore and solve problems related to such popular childhood toys as the slinky and the yo-yo.

Field Biology offers scholars ages 13 and older the opportunity to study biology “out in the field and back in the lab” with Dr. Carrie DeJaco. The course, a rare evening offering of the Falcon STEM Camps, begins at 4 p.m. each day from June 15 through June 18. It is limited to 12 students.

Multiple camps for Lego enthusiasts will round out the offerings in the camps’ K-5 division. The Middle School division of the camps includes sessions on experiential learning life and physical science, each led by a Pfeiffer professor.

Tuition for each Falcon STEM camp includes lunch and a Falcon Stem Scholar T-shirt. (The Field Biology students will be fed dinner.) Those registering for a camp on or before March 15 will get a $10 discount.

To register visit https://forms.gle/4xCesNJjqVqwAz1V6.