STEM

DNA necklaces and DNA code bead bracelets just might be the unlikeliest type of jewelry. But they were a couple of the academic jewels made by seventh- and eighth- graders Monday at the Thunder Vision Biovision STEM Day Camp. It’s just one of four such camps — the others are Cybervision, Robovision and Technovision — unfurling this week on the GCU campus, courtesy of Strategic Educational Alliances. The camps serve SEA’s mission to support kindergarten- through 12th-grade students and educators while fostering a college culture.

More than 130 Chief Science Officers from middle and high schools across Arizona are learning leadership, communication and team-building skills this week at the second annual GCU-hosted CSO Training Institute. In just two years, the program has spread not only across the state but also nationally with 13 states following Arizona’s example. CSOs are elected by their peers to act as STEM ambassadors at their schools and communities.