Appalachian Pennsylvania teachers and students encouraged to apply for ARC’s all-inclusive summer camps, the Appalachian STEM Academy and Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy.
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has opened applications for two of its summer learning opportunities, the Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy (AEA) and the Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge. The programs are free, all-inclusive learning experiences that help prepare high school and middle school students and teachers in Appalachian Pennsylvania and beyond for future opportunities in entrepreneurship and STEM.
“Our current Appalachian students will one day be the leaders of our Appalachian communities,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “The Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy and Appalachian STEM Academy not only help students grow their existing skills, but also help nurture their leadership capacity and encourage them to use their voices for positive growth across the region.”
The Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy (AEA) is an experiential learning opportunity to help prepare the next generation of entrepreneurial thinkers and leaders. High school students will participate in educational workshops designed to spark creativity and develop essential entrepreneurial skills, concluding with final capstone pitches of entrepreneurial ideas students develop to strengthen communities and address economic challenges in Appalachia. AEA will be held from July 8-21, 2023, at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
The Appalachian STEM Academy has pioneered access to STEM-related research opportunities for high school and middle school students and high school teachers across Appalachia for 30+ years. Students will collaborate with award-winning scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on guided group science, math, and computer science technology research projects, while teachers develop STEM-related curriculum with expert science practitioners. Programming will be held at Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. For the first time in the program’s history, the middle school curriculum will be split into two separate one-week sessions to double the number of students who can participate in the valuable learning experience.
· Middle School STEM Academy Session 1: July 8-14, 2023
· Middle School STEM Academy Session 2: July 15-21, 2023
· High School STEM Academy: July 8-21, 2023
Applications for both opportunities are due February 10, 2023. More information about the programs and application process is available at www.arc.gov/STEM and www.arc.gov/AEA.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (www.arc.gov) is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
The Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy (AEA) is a hands-on learning experience that prepares the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and thinkers. Students participate in educational workshops designed to cultivate creativity and develop essential entrepreneurial skills. Students also develop and implement their own business ideas to strengthen Appalachian communities.
Established in 1990, the Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge is a residential, hands-on learning experience for Appalachia’s middle and high school students, as well as high school teachers in STEM-related fields. Hosted by Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and developed by the Appalachian Regional Commission, this program is a gateway to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research opportunities in the Appalachian Region.
