NASA and IBM host STEM camp for teens at Wallace Best Buy Tech Center

The first NASA-IBM STEM Camp orientation successfully began on June 22 with over 10 high school students from Selma High, Southside High, Dallas County and Prattville High School. 

The STEM Camp was hosted by the Wallace Community College Selma Best Buy Teen Tech Center June 22-28 on the campus at the Teen Tech Center. Professionals from NASA and IBM hosted live virtual sessions as well as hands-on activities with the participants, facilitated by Teen Tech Center Coordinator Kaymon Mcquire, Teen Tech Center College 2 Careers Coordinator Letti Hasberry and Teen Tech Center Supervisor Chardae Austin.

Sessions included IBM Skill Build, which allowed students to power their future in tech with job skills, courses, and credentials. This platform provides new technologies, builds skills that are foundational for the workplace, and earn digital credentials to show what you’ve learned—all for free. Some of the courses that are offered includes; artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and professional skills.

Another session worked with The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), who provided a Hammer House Build Experience for the students from WCCS Best Buy Teen Tech Center, along with local educators and construction leaders. In two hours, the students built a small house using applied mathematics with real construction materials and tools such as hammers, drills, tape measures and calculators.

The final session introduced coding with the Coding at NASA with the Alabama Space Grant Consortium program. This program allowed the participants to explore and experiment with creating and building computer programs from scratch. 

Each participant received a certificate and a certification badge as they completed the program.