Introduction

Kansas LEAPES (Learning, Exploration, and Application for Prospective Engineering Students) is an innovative distributed STEM summer camp that seeks to spark interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers among 7th–12th grade students statewide.

The primary goal of Project LEAPES is to engage students in awareness, exploration, and preparation activities related to careers in engineering, artificial intelligence, and computer science, all of which are critically important areas to national security.

Over the past four years, Project LEAPES equipped 120 teachers through professional development and welcomed an average of 400 middle school students each summer to its STEM camps taught by K-State professors of Robotics, Computer Science, and Aerospace Engineering. Students reported leaving camp with greater enthusiasm for STEM topics and a stronger belief that they could succeed in STEM fields. Teachers gained tools to keep the momentum going in their classrooms, and students left inspired to imagine themselves as the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators.

Initially funded by a three-year, $2.7 million U.S. Department of Defense grant, the camp continues to be offered through the dedicated efforts of Kansas State University’s Rural Education Center, Advancing Learning and Teaching Computer Science lab, and K-State Salina.