Many students get to travel to interesting places during the summer, and for one Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School student, her trip to Maryland included a little science, engineering, technology, and mathematics.
Freshman Evy Bosko was selected for a unique opportunity to attend The United States Naval Academy Summer STEM Program in Annapolis, Md. For six days, Evy lived at the Naval Academy where she learned, built, and explored in a world-class laboratory and experienced real-world applications of STEM principles.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Evy about her week in Annapolis. “I am definitely planning on going back again next year.”
This annual USNA STEM camp encourages young men and women to explore the different aspects of STEM and demonstrates the practical applications of each field. Using the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment available on campus, students were engaged in different thought-provoking exercises and experiments. Activities included calculating the optimal route for a rescue aircraft using a limited amount of fuel, constructing model buildings to withstand different wind intensities, building robots and programming them to perform different tasks, testing the strength of different grades of steel in various conditions, and exploring the epidemiology of infectious diseases and how easily they can spread out of control. And although STEM-based activities were the focus of the program, campers also got to enjoy intramural sports, social events, and a trip to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
Campers came from all over the United States, and the highly selective process only accepted about
18% of all who applied. The process combed through each applicant’s coursework, grades, standardized test scores, and club memberships, and only the highest achievers were invited to attend. Although it was a relatively small group of students, the friendships and memories that they made with one another will last for a lifetime.
18% of all who applied. The process combed through each applicant’s coursework, grades, standardized test scores, and club memberships, and only the highest achievers were invited to attend. Although it was a relatively small group of students, the friendships and memories that they made with one another will last for a lifetime.
“I got to meet people from all over the country, and we still keep in touch,” said Evy. “It’s really cool to be among a group of young people who all have an interest in STEM.”
Although she has only just started high school, Evy has already begun to plan her career trajectory after she graduates. Stacking her class schedule with advanced courses in math and the sciences, she intends to use all that she learns to help people by solving crimes.
“I’d love to go into a law enforcement field where I also get to use science,” she said. “I’m looking at forensic science, maybe in an agency like the FBI.”
