VCSU Hosts More Than 125 Students for INSTEM Academy

Photo: INSTEM students participate in the “Microbe Mayhem” activity with VCSU science professor Hilde van Gijssel.

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSU) – The Valley City State University INSTEM Academy brought more than 125 students to campus this month for weekly sessions focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math.

Students from 15 different school districts attended the sessions this summer, which is the seventh year that VCSU has offered the INSTEM Academy. The academy began with just 12 students in 2018.

“It’s exciting is how far the program has come—from just 12 students in 2018 to more than 120 annually from more than 15 school districts,” said Dr. Jamie Wirth, VCSU Professor and INSTEM Academy director. “This growth shows the growing demand and impact of this work.”

The INSTEM Academy runs four different weekly sessions in June for students in grades 7-12, who are grouped by class level. The weekly sessions begin on Sunday night and conclude on Thursday afternoon and are full of hands-on activities that build students’ skills and confidence in science, technology, engineering, and math.

VCSU faculty worked with students in various classes including bird watching, robot building, building hydraulic arms, studying the brain, using sonar, monitoring walleye, editing video, using audio recording equipment, and using scientific discovery.

Students in Weeks 1 and 2 participate in activities throughout the week as a large group. This allows them to try many different activities, tour different locations and get their first taste of what life on a college campus is like.

Older students in Weeks 3 and 4 select specific projects to focus on during their INSTEM time. Students work on their project for more than a day and present their results during a showcase event at the end of the week.

Jake Ryan John, a first year INSTEM participant, said he has enjoyed the projects and meeting new friends.

“I’ve always wanted to go into STEM and science related stuff since I was in first grade,” he said. “This is a great experience for me.”

“I think these sessions will help me very much in my future,” Chayton Yankton said. Yankton participated in building an audio story through sound and editing videos during Week 3.

Athena Starr has been attending INSTEM for three years and participated in a new session led by Dr. Lindsey Leker focusing on neuroscience and the brain.

“This session is really into psychology, and I want to be a neuropsychologist,” Starr said. “We are playing games with things like taste. It’s really fun.”

In addition to academic activities, students experience trips to Medicine Wheel Park, the Gaukler Family Wellness Center, the VCSU Planetarium, and have free time to experience residence halls.

“INSTEM has been a tremendous success this year. The level of engagement from students has been outstanding—they’re having fun, building connections, and really embracing the challenge of STEM learning,” Wirth said. “It’s exciting to see so many of them already talking about returning next year.”

Photo: INSTEM students build hydraulic arms during an activity. The hydraulic arms were then used to move items in a competition.

Photo: Students visit John Deere Seeding Group and experience virtual reality training programs that train John Deere employees on welding and painting.

Photo: Students edit audio in VCSU’s audio production lab as part of an INSTEM session.