IMAGINE STEM Saturdays for Students
Explore future STEM careers, engage in advanced mathematics and engineering topics, and develop the skills and mindsets needed to be the innovators of today and tomorrow. IMAGINE STEM Saturday classes are available each Spring and Fall semester for Kindergarten – 12th-grade students and families in the Champaign-Urbana area.
All courses include project-based activities with close attention to advanced mathematics, introducing algebra concepts as early as kindergarten with the goal of long-term participants being algebra-ready by 8th grade and calculus-ready by 12th.
Fall 2024 IMAGINE STEM Saturdays
*Note: All classes are full for Fall 2024
Grades K - 5
Dates: October 12, 19, and 26, 2024 (9:30 am - 12:30 pm) at the First Presbyterian Church (302 W Church St, Champaign, IL 61820)
*Parents/Caregivers attend classes with K-5 students
- Kindergarten – 1st grade (+Caregiver(s)): (Little Chemical Engineers) Chemical reactions change one substance into another, and this reaction often comes with amazing side effects like color changes, foaming bubbles, or heat and light. Explore the matter that's all around us, and how new substances are created. Use measurement and data collection tools to uncover patterns that help us understand the substances and the experimental results.
- 2nd - 3rd grade (+ Caregiver(s)): (Little Mechanical Engineers) Explore the power of simple machines like ramps, levers, pulleys, and more. Put them together to create complex machines. Whether simple or complex, they make hard work easier.
- 4th - 5th grade (+Caregiver(s)): (Structural Engineers)Learn the engineering design process as it relates to building bridges. Learn about the shapes that add strength and stability to structures and the constraints that must be considered in the design of new structures. Compete to design the strongest structure for the most reasonable price.
Grades 6-8
Dates: October 26, and Nov 2, 2024 (9:00 am - 12:00 pm) on the Engineering Campus (UIUC)
- 6th – 8th grade: (Exploring the Molecular World) Molecules are all around us. When we understand what molecules make up material, we can make sure materials like clothes and plastic bags can be recycled. With new tech like AI, everyone can be a molecule maker! Make virtual molecules, make a solar cell, and learn to think like a scientist as you are tasked with a challenge – can you figure out what fruits and vegetables can generate the most electricity? Get a firsthand look at how AI helps scientists, and how it can help your scientific exploration!
Grades 9-12
Dates: October 5, 12, and 19, 2024 (9:00 am - 12:00 pm) at 280 Materials Research Laboratory (104 S Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801)
- 9th - 12th grade: (The Science of Shrinking Technology) Artificial Intelligence like chatGPT would be impossible without nanoelectronics and semiconductors (extremely small computer “chips”). Explore the basic concepts and ideas of modern semiconductors, and have a hands-on experience at the tools and instruments that are used to build the advanced chips. You'll never look at an electronic device the same way again, and we hope you'll leave the program wanting to be a designer of tomorrow's technologies.
For all classes:
- Check-in begins 15 minutes before class begins (parents must sign-in anyone under the age of 18)
- To-go lunch provided at dismissal.
Parent / Adult Caregiver Involvement is an Important Part of the IMAGINE STEM Program:
- Elementary (K-5): side-by-side learning with the child and an adult caregiver will participate together during all Saturday classes
- Middle School (6-8): IMAGINE Family STEM Nights
- High School (9-12): Explore Grainger Engineering events
Partnerships for Equity, Access, and Representation in STEM Initiative Overview
IMAGINE STEM Saturdays were developed as part of the Partnerships for Equity, Access, and Representation in STEM Initiative funded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Call to Action grant as a social impact initiative. PEAR-STEM was a collaboration of Champaign-Urbana community organizations Driven to Reach Excellence & Academic Achievement for Males (DREAAM) & the Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center (UNCC), and the Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program (ChiS&E). University of Illinois participants included Psychology and Engineering faculty, as well as specialists in public engagement and STEM curriculum development & teaching (WYSE & MSTE). The overarching goal was to address inequities in preparation for STEM careers among K-12 students and to identify how to optimize preparation for historically excluded Black and Brown children.
Through PEAR-STEM, IMAGINE STEM Saturdays were initially implemented in the C-U community. Participating teachers received professional development to strengthen course content and delivery, and the courses were evaluated for effectiveness and continue to grow.