Paul Szmal: And welcome back to FLX Morning here on Finger Lakes Newsradio. It's 8.38. Time for our Scholastically Speaking segment where we spotlight some of the things going on in and around Finger Lakes Community College. And joining us this morning as our guest is the Assistant Director of the Geneva Campus Center, Natsali Pitafor-Lee. Good morning. How are you this morning?
Lee Pitifer: Good morning. I'm doing well. Doing well. Thanks. And we want to talk about some of the summer day camps that are happening with FLCC. How long have these been going on?
Paul Szmal: Well, I think at the Geneva and Newark Campus Center, we've been running the STEAM camps for about five years. And prior to that, the Victor Campus Center began the STEAM camp at that center. And they've also carried on with that. So they started first, and then we joined in a couple of years later, and we've been doing it for over five years. So in all in all, probably about eight years if you, you know, Victor, when they started first.
Lee Pitifer: Right. Right. So what's involved with these day-long summer camps? Are there different activities that are taking place? Are they themed to certain types of activities?
Paul Szmal: Yes. So these are STEAM camps. So it's an interdisciplinary approach to combining science, technology, engineering, art, and math. And typically there is a theme. So this year, for example, in Geneva, our theme is cooking with STEAM. In Newark, the theme is full STEAM ahead, basically full STEAM to your future ahead. And I think last year they had STEAM in space. Last year we had STEAM in water. And Victor, the STEAM camp theme this year is STEAM in motion.
Lee Pitifer: Can we elaborate a little bit on some of the activities that each of these places are having?
Paul Szmal: Sure. The STEAM in motion at the Victor Campus Center is our first camp in the summer, and it starts July 7th and runs that week to July 11th. And that's located at the Victor Campus Center at 200 Victor Heights Parkway in that business area. And students will work with faculty and some technical specialists to design mechanical parts, create electrical circuits, for example, learn about robotics. So they'll explore science, how science and technology can be used to create objects that move, roll, glide, propel, fly. I know at one STEAM camp, they had some probably 3D printed little cats, little round little cats, and they actually designed an actual catapult to put the cats in and to see how that design worked structurally. So that was really fun for the students.
The cooking with STEAM camp at the Geneva Campus Center begins July 14th. So it's the week after the Victor Campus Center STEAM camp, and that runs the week to July 18th. And in that camp, students will have the opportunity to do kitchen chemistry, learn about safety with cooking. They'll learn about molecular gastronomy. So the science, again, kitchen chemistry of cooking. They'll learn about nutrition and how it relates to sustainable agriculture. We have a culinary program at FLCC. We have the Viticulture Center, the wine technology program, and we're really close by Cornell Agritech. So the students will also have the opportunity to visit the Viticulture Center and Cornell Agritech. And students will also kind of use the art aspect of STEAM and design a logo for a fictitious restaurant and design a meal. And then we're going to culminate that program with a walk to our local restaurants. We're going to go to Geneva Gelato and have a science segment on the difference between ice cream and gelato. And then the students will finally walk to the Captain's Cafe. And the owner has graciously accepted, or we've asked her if she could actually make the food that the students are designing. So the whole camp is just around creative cooking and learning some science of kitchen chemistry in our lab here, and then going on some field trips and having community connections. And I can say the most about that camp because that's this is where I work at the Center. But the STEAM in Motion at Victor is going to be a lot of fun, it always is.
And then finally, July 21st through July 25th, we'll be at the Newark Campus Center. And that's going to be a lot of fun too. That's full STEAM ahead to your future. So campers are going to learn all about STEAM career and educational pathways, doing some hands-on activities using really innovative technology. So they're going to use augmented reality to learn about welding. And we actually have certification for that program at FLCC. And then they're also going to use some technology, virtual reality, Oculus programming that can allow them to kind of delve into looking at like 39 different careers. For example, they might repair a radio tower or look at how to install solar panels on a roof or what an EMT would do. So really innovative technology that those students get to get to do.
Lee Pitifer: Fantastic. That sounds like a lot of great programs. Why would a parent want to have a student extend themselves out and maybe do one of these summer day camps?
Paul Szmal: Well, first of all, it allows students to have something to do in the summer. Oftentimes, there's a big gap between ending the school year and then starting the next school year. So there's a summer slide kind of issue. So this keeps the students engaged, critically thinking. It's fun, too. And they can connect with other friends they may know at the camp. But oftentimes, because we get campers from all over and varying districts, they get to meet new friends. And they do. They make some lasting friendships. So in addition to that, students get to kind of really learn about STEAM, different opportunities that are impactful. At this young age, it's good to kind of understand what opportunities are available. Because as they approach their high school years, 9th, 10th, 11th grade, 12th, they're kind of formulating some ideas of what classes they want to take, what courses they want to do, what careers they might be interested in, or what they could do in the future. So this gives them an opportunity to learn about science, about technology, engineering, art, and math, those really kind of high-growth areas.
Lee Pitifer: And I'm glad, Lee, that you mentioned age, because there is a change in the eligibility this year from previous years that we should talk about.
Paul Szmal: Yes. We traditionally have offered the camp for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. But we did open it up to rising 6th graders as well, because there are a lot of camps in the areas that typically are for younger students and kind of go up to 5th grade, and then maybe older. And there's that gap between 5th and 7th. So we offered it to the 6th graders. We started that. And we're hopeful to have high enrollment.
Lee Pitifer: Are there any eligibility requirements for this, or is it just anybody within the county?
Paul Szmal: No, no eligibility requirements, just the age. Like I said, the rising 6th, 7th, and 8th, and 9th graders. And it's fully guided. We have FLCC faculty, staff. We have community partners at the Geneva camp. We have Hobart William Smith professor coming to do a session, and the students are dropped off daily at 8.30 a.m. And then they're picked up at 3 p.m.
Lee Pitifer: Okay. And there are also some need-based scholarships available as well, I understand?
Paul Szmal: We do have need-based scholarships available for each of the camps. And there's just when the guardian fills out the forms, they indicate if they're going to pay or if they need a scholarship. And there's a table available that has income and size of family. And so that's just included. And we will go through that after all of the forms are submitted. And let's see, the deadline to apply for a camp and be considered for a scholarship is Friday, May 16th.
Lee Pitifer: And where can people sign up their children online for these camps?
Paul Szmal: So they should go to flcc.edu slash STEAM. And you can always email with questions, steam.camp at flcc.edu. And I'm happy to answer any questions. They can contact me at the Geneva Campus Center and I can answer questions for all of the camps. But yeah, flcc.edu slash STEAM, if they access that, they'll see the form pop up and they can indicate which camp they'd like to join. And students can actually join multiple camps as well. They don't have to just choose one. So we've had students do that before. We've had returning campers too. So we have students that have come up several years.
Lee Pitifer: And again, the camps are coming up July 7th through 11th is STEAM in Motion at the Victor Campus Center, July 14th through the 18th, Cooking with STEAM at the Geneva Campus Center, and then July 21st through the 25th, Full STEAM Ahead. That'll be at the Newark Campus Center, all part of this FLCC summer day camp program that they've been doing for a number of years now. So Lee, thank you very much for sharing the information with us. We appreciate it.
Paul Szmal: Well, thank you for having me. It is. It is 8.50 on FLX Morning.
