Summer Ventures introduces students to campus life, university research

Forty-four high school students participated in East Carolina University’s Summer Ventures program in July.

The College of Education, through its Center for STEM Education, was proud to once again host ECU’s Summer Ventures program,” said Erin Kessel, Director of Summer Ventures and senior teaching instructor. “Over four weeks, 44 high school students from across North Carolina engaged in hands-on learning, collaborated with outstanding ECU faculty, and explored research and higher education opportunities. This transformative experience reflects ECU’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of scholars and leaders.”

Summer Ventures is a no-cost summer program for academically-motivated high schoolers, which supplements high school education with research-based university courses in science and mathematics. Overseen by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, universities from across the state invite campers to their campuses for a four-week residential experience.

“I loved meeting new people and working on research that was truly interesting and impactful,” one participant said. “I would love to take the connections I have made here with me into the future!”

This summer, three courses were offered to students: Behavioral Neuroscience, DNA Fingerprinting and Discrete Mathematics. Participants learned and researched Monday through Saturday for six hours a day and resided on-campus in Clement Residence Hall.

In addition to the classroom experience, students were able to learn about the opportunities offered at ECU including the Honors College, Education Living-Learning Community, life as a Brody School of Medicine student, and Pirate Robotics. They also attended a presentation by the Artificial Intelligence Teaching and Research Institute (AITRI) and listened to a talk by Greenville native and NFL player Cornell Powell.

“I’m so grateful for Summer Ventures in that they connected me with such amazing people that I will dearly miss,” another participant said. “I also enjoyed the rec center. My newly made friends and I were able to become good at sports I never would’ve thought to try. I will miss every single moment I made at Summer Ventures, but I’m glad I can at least relive them as a memory.”