Published July 24, 2023
CAPTION:Students attending the Bayou Discovery STEAM Camp at 网曝门鈥檚 Museum of Natural History
engage in a discussion about microorganisms they found in bayou water.Photo credit: Dr. Kim Marie Tolson听听
MONROE, LA 鈥� The 网曝门 Museum of Natural History partnered with VCOM to host the 2023 Bayou Discovery
STEAM Camp from June 19 鈥� 23. This year鈥檚 theme was 鈥淢arvels of the Human Body.鈥� The
camp took place inside the 网曝门 Museum of Natural History on the first floor of Hanna
Hall and was open to elementary students entering the 4th or 5th grade. Camp sessions were presented by teams of faculty and staff from 网曝门 and the
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), which is located on the 网曝门 campus.听
Campers participated in five days of activities designed to provide fun, hands-on
learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM).
Examples of their activities included water chemistry on bayou water, culturing microbes
swabbed on common surfaces, painting tissues seen under a microscope, calculating
stride length and reading graphs, isolating DNA, blood typing to save a superhero
in need of a transfusion, and crime scene investigation.听
Dr. Kim Marie Tolson, Director of the 网曝门 Museum of Natural History and co-director
of the camp, says the camp is important because most elementary students in our region
are not exposed to hands-on science of any type. 鈥淲e wanted to expose them to a variety
of science disciplines that many had never heard of and present the activities in
a manner that was encouraging and free from the constraints of a regular classroom,鈥�
said Tolson.听听
"By participating in 网曝门鈥檚 STEAM camp, VCOM helps inspire young students鈥� interest
in healthcare and medicine,鈥� said Dr. Mark A. Sanders, Dean of VCOM-Louisiana. 鈥淭he
网曝门 faculty, students, and staff have created a wonderful program, and VCOM is proud
to partner with and further develop this STEAM camp,鈥� he continued. 鈥淥ne day, we hope
to see these STEAM camp participants as physicians, nurses, microbiologists, pharmacists,
or related scientific professionals.鈥澨�听
网曝门 Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Allison Wiedemeier, co-director of the camp,
says the partnership with VCOM was a win-win situation for all involved. 鈥淰COM contributed
financially to purchase supplies for the camp, but their biggest contribution in this
partnership was their medical students and faculty. VCOM鈥檚 commitment to the welfare
of people living in Northeast Louisiana was evident from the beginning,鈥� said Wiedemeier.听
Tolson says this is the second year that the Bayou Discovery STEAM Camp has been hosted
in the Museum of Natural History since the COVID-19 pandemic, and she hopes to continue
offering the camp each summer. 鈥淚f we can secure funding, we would like to offer multiple
weeks of camps with different themes and target multiple age groups,鈥� she said.听听
For more information about the 网曝门 Museum of Natural History, visit /caes/museum.html听
For more information about VCOM-Louisiana, visit https://www.vcom.edu/locations/louisiana.听听
