The Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO), dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators and helping restore America’s leadership in technology education, today launched its 2022 STEMgirls Summer Camp at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Preparatory High School at 3106 Belvidere Rd, Waukegan, IL 

Over the next five days, nearly 100 rising 3rd to 8th grade girls will explore a wide variety of areas related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This year’s exploration centers around the habitation of a new planet by humans.  In order for humans to be able to live in this new space, they will need to find ways to meet requirements for survival. Topics include soil chemistry and discovering existing life, engineering challenges involved in securing and transporting water for the new planet, using remote sensing to map the landscape of the planet and building a paper model of “living” and “research” spaces, and generating electricity from wind. Field trips include visits to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and the Garoon Gateway to Science Park in Lake Zurich, IL.  As always, iBIO is emphasizing career opportunities for the girls that will be entering the workforce in the next five to ten years. Over 25 STEM professionals from the local STEM community will volunteer for the event, which is intended to educate and inspire students and their families.

“We are incredibly grateful to our donors who provide the funding and the industry expertise that brings real-world connections to our camps that really sets it apart from other summer activities, ” said iBIO Senior Vice President Ann Vogel. “We are also thrilled to be back in-person this summer! Providing the opportunity for girls to learn together and from one another, while experimenting and using the engineering design cycle to creatively solve problems, is a key part of our camp.”

On Friday, June 24, iBIO welcomes camper families to join them for a Family Day and STEM Careers Event. Families will enjoy learning about exciting careers in STEM from Abbott panelists, visiting with other local employers and community organizations focused on STEM at the exhibit hall, and working together with their campers to build a simple model hovercraft such as the ones used for weather monitoring. Family Day is 11AM to 2PM. Lunch will be provided. Registration is required and all participants must be vaccinated. 

Without sponsors, iBIO’s STEMgirls Summer Camp would be impossible.

Every iBIO program and activity is made possible through the generous donations of individuals, foundations, and corporations. Abbott is the lead sponsor for the 2022 STEMgirls Summer Camp. With Abbott’s support, all STEMgirls campers will take home an iBIO STEM Kit to explore Anemometry with their families. The hands-on STEM Kit provides materials, written instructions in English and Spanish, links to an instructional video and profiles of women working in STEM.

“To inspire the next generation of innovators, it’s important to provide children with hands-on STEM experiences when they’re young so they’re encouraged to pursue related education and careers later in life,” said John Frels, vice president of core diagnostics research and development for Abbott. “Abbott is proud to partner with iBIO and STEMgirls for their annual camp to help energize and motivate future STEM leaders.”

Other Chicago-area healthcare companies that provided financial support for the camp include Horizon and the Steans Family Foundation.

After this year’s camp ends on June 24th, iBIO will post photos and videos highlighting many of this year’s activities on social media: @IllinoisBiotech, @iBIOSTEM.

With support from Astellas more than 2,300 kits will enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning experiences for 330 students in grades three through eight at Oliver W Holmes Middle School and London Middle School in CCSD21 and at Walter L. Newberry Math & Science Academy and Edward N. Hurley Elementary School in CPS.

The monthly kits provide everything needed for each learning activity, as well as information about real-world applications and career opportunities to which students can aspire.

“At Newberry, we are excited to provide our students with access to the STEM kits to further their exposure and enthusiasm for the content areas addressed; Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics. It is through opportunities such as this, as well as Stellar Girls, that students will develop a better sense of agency in the Sciences, allowing them to envision their future careers and potential,” said Linda Foley, Principal, Newberry Math and Science Academy.

“Through this opportunity, students will have increased hands-on access to explore STEM concepts at home, share a passion for STEM with family, expand curiosity, and foster excitement for discovery,” said Dr. Michael Connolly, Superintendent of the Community Consolidated School District 21 “We look forward to building a long-term partnership with iBIO and Astellas to support our students’ interest in STEM fields.”

Astellas Provides Support for STEM Education

Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. Its US headquarters is located in Northbrook, Illinois.

Astellas and the legacy Astellas USA Foundation began their partnership with iBIO in 2011 to support local STEM education by providing start-up funds to launch Stellar Girls, an after-school science program offered to more than 2,000 girls in the Chicago area since its launch.

”We’re pleased to continue our support of iBIO’s STEM education efforts through this new program,” said Steve Sabus, Senior Vice President and Head, Medical Specialties Business Unit. . “Now more than ever, it’s vital that we find creative ways to encourage and engage today’s youth.”

Astellas also sponsors iBIO’s annual STEMgirls Camp, a 5-day STEM Summer camp for 3rd-8th grade girls. In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Astellas is supporting the iBIO STEM Kit program to provide critical hands-on STEM education.

About iBIO

The Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO) is a life sciences industry association that represents the nearly 88,000 life sciences employees at member companies, universities, service providers and venture firms. iBIO promotes the industry’s value to the public and policymakers; connects innovators to investment and talent; stimulates collaboration and fosters the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to transform patient lives through groundbreaking research and works to grow the Illinois economy.

iBIO delivers industry-led STEM programs for teachers and students, thereby inspiring the next generation of innovators and helping restore America’s leadership in technology education. To learn more about iBIO and its programs, visit www.ibio.org.

The Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO), a life sciences industry association that represents the nearly 88,000 life sciences employees at member companies, universities, service providers and venture firms, wants to know!

Enter to win the 2021 Virtual Illinois BioGENEius Challenge. BioGENEius is the most prestigious high school science competition in the world for original research in biotechnology. One Illinois winner will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to present his or her research to judges at the 2021 BIO International Digital Convention!

Contestants will prepare posters and 10-minute presentations on their projects for judging via video conferencing the week of April 26, 2021. The Illinois judging will take place over several days during this week. Details will be emailed to contestants and their research mentors.

One Illinois finalist will be selected to represent Illinois at the 2021 Digital BIO International Conference, June 10-11 & 14-18, 2021.

Three National BioGENEius Challenge Tracks give students more opportunities than ever before to apply, earn recognition and win awards for their projects:

• The Global Healthcare Challenge in medical biotechnology
• The Global Sustainability Challenge in agricultural biotechnology
• The Global Environment Challenge in industrial/environmental biotechnology

iBIO Challenge Application Open Date:         1/4/2021

iBIO Challenge Application Close Date:          4/16/2021

Apply Here

For more information, please contact:

Monique Naleway at mnaleway@ibio.org

CHICAGO and EDWARDSVILLE, IL, October 14, 2020 – iBIO EDUCATE, dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators and helping restore America’s leadership in technology education, and Goshen Education Consulting, a prominent STEM educational evaluation and research center, today announced that they have received a $2.7million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to design and implement novel educational experiences for up to 3,750 children in military families. Starting in 2021 and continuing for three years, the grant will enable summer camps that will be known as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for Kids ofActive Military Personnel (STEMKAMP).

As the largest employer of scientists and engineers in the world, the Defense Department recognizes the importance of inspiring students to become STEM professionals. iBIO and Goshen Education Consulting have created the new program for third to eighth graders based on published research data showing that students who express an early interest (by eighth grade) in pursuing a STEM career are two to three times more likely to graduate with a STEM college degree.*

“Over the next decade, it is projected that 80% of jobs will require STEM skills, which makes programs like STEMKAMP all the more important,” said Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12). “I was proud to support iBIO and Goshen Education’s grant application earlier this year, and I am thrilled that they have received this funding.” Former marine Bost wrote a letter of support for the grant application. His district in southern Illinois includes Scott Air Force Base and Mascoutah school district, one of the districts that will be served through the program.

STEMKAMP will partner with 10 military-connected school districts across the United States to implement the five-day summer camps, helping young students connect critical thinking and problem-solving skills to a wide variety of STEM careers through hands-on experiences with STEM concepts and access to STEM professionals. As a result, students will develop basic laboratory skills, practice higher-order thinking skills, and gain the self-confidence and motivation to consider continuing on a path toward a STEM career.

Children of military service personnel often experience stress related to the many unknowns involved in their parents’ occupations. This includes changing school districts often, which can make it difficult to adjust to new schools with differing curriculum, instructional methods, cultural norms and climate. STEMKAMP will fill a large need by providing access to local STEM summer camps designed specifically for children in military families.

STEMKAMP is modeled after iBIO’s highly successful, nationally recognized, hands-on STEMgirls camps and, due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, its 2020 virtual STEMfamily camp. Made possible by strong financial support from Illinois life sciences companies – Abbott, Astellas, Horizon and Lundbeck – the iBIO camps have served more than 560 third to eighth grade girls during the summers of 2016 – 2019. More than 500 kids from 27 states participated in the June 2020 virtual STEMfamily camp.

“To receive this grant, we needed to demonstrate that STEMKAMP will be sustained at each site beyond the initial three-year program,” explained iBIO Senior Vice President Ann Vogel. “We are thrilled to build on the success of our programs and bring these STEM camps to military families. We look forward to creating and coordinating a network composed of local school districts, their respective state’s BIO affiliates and other local community partners to build a strong STEM talent pipeline.”

The Department of Defense also asked iBIO and Goshen to explain how they would modify their implementation plan if COVID-19 or another pandemic required a distance-learning approach. iBIO’s 2020 STEMfamily Camp’s successes convinced the grant reviewers that STEMKAMP could adapt, if needed. Pre- and post-camp survey showed positive changes in the camps’ participants and an increased desire to pursue a STEM career.

“As the formal evaluator of the camps since their inception, my company has validated quantifiable metrics that demonstrate meaningful results by the young students,” said Matt Feldmann, Ph.D., principal researcher and owner, Goshen Education Consulting. “And as the father of two daughters who have flourished in the STEMgirls and STEMfamily camps, I saw the positive impact on my children and in my family. It is a privilege to be able to bring STEMKAMP to children in military families nationwide. I am confident  that they will benefit greatly through the hands-on approach to learning.”

Click here to see how iBIO’s 2020 STEMfamily Camp made a difference in the lives of Illinois families.

About iBIO
The Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO) is a life sciences industry association that represents the nearly 88,000 life sciences employees at member companies, universities, service providers and venture firms. iBIO promotes the industry’s value to the public and policymakers; connects innovators to investment and talent; stimulates collaboration and fosters the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to transform patient lives through groundbreaking research and works to grow the Illinois economy.

iBIO EDUCATE delivers industry-led STEM programs for teachers and students, thereby inspiring the next generation of innovators and helping restore America’s leadership in technology education. To learn more about iBIO and its programs, visit www.ibio.org

About Goshen Education Consulting
Goshen Education Consulting is a STEM educational evaluation and research center located in Edwardsville, IL. Since its founding in 2009, Goshen Education Consulting has conducted more than 60 educational evaluation and research projects. Goshen Education Consulting Inc. specializes in educational data interpretation (evaluation, research and analysis) for educational organizations in Illinois. Beyond program implementation, consulting services range from external program evaluation and ad hoc report writing to dashboard development and at-risk student identification.

Media Contacts

Monique Naleway
Operations Manager
iBIO
(312) 561-3895
mnaleway@ibio.org

Matt Feldmann, Ph.D.
Principal Researcher and Owner
Goshen Education Consulting, Inc.
(618) 751-2807
matt@gosheneducationconsulting.com

iBIO’s STEMfamily Virtual Summer Camp is a free virtual camp that offers hands-on experiments that are designed for the whole family to enjoy and investigate.

Over 500 kids participated in STEMfamily camp. 23% were from Waukegan and North Chicago and 24% were from the Red Bud area in southern Illinois.

Cognizant that we would have families with a broad range of backgrounds, schedules and time constraints as well as experience and confidence with STEM topics, we created a variety of ways for families to access activities and interact with camp (see utilization data below).

Each day of camp began at 9 AM CDT with a greeting on Facebook live. Campers and their families completed the daily activities and shared their progress with other campers and camp counselors on the private Facebook group. Throughout the day, campers had access to counselors on Google Meet and also received continuous feedback on photos and questions posted on the Facebook group. Camp officially closed with another Facebook livestream at 3 PM CDT, although counselors continued to respond to Facebook comments throughout the evening to accommodate West Coast STEMfamilies. Families learned about STEM careers through videos by STEM employees at Abbott and Horizon and a career panel discussion posted to Facebook. We were very pleased to have Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton provide encouragement to families through a video address.

We examined success through daily surveys and a post-camp survey. A detailed report by independent evaluator, Goshen Education, is expected later this month but raw data show camp was a big success. 96.5% of families reported they would participate in STEMfamily virtual camp next year. 81% of families agreed or strongly agreed they would participate in STEMfamily again next summer even if no restrictions on gatherings are in place.

In addition to providing generous financial support, Abbott, Astellas and Horizon, three prominent Illinois-based life sciences companies, provided content on STEM careers and participated in panel discussions. These companies not only recognize the critical importance of early outreach to developing STEM talent and encouraging diversity in the STEM workplace, they also are providing resources and expert presenters to make the camp successful.

What Parents had to say…

“This camp was absolutely excellent. My daughter was excited to get started each day and couldn’t wait to talk about her experiences each night at dinner. As a parent, it is exciting to see my child on fire for science! Thank you for making all of the restrictions and stress of the current environment melt away so that she could enjoy learning again. This has been such a wonderful experience – thank you!”

“Lots of fun! Your team did an excellent job making a virtual camp engaging and flexible”

“The morning FB lives with Kathy Marion was really helpful. Being able to see the questions and post of the other families was also helpful because we had the same questions. The GoogleMeet support was also helpful. The support around the virtual camps was exceptional. And I was really impressed especially considering the short time the team would’ve have to pivot the camp from in person to virtual due to COVID. Thank you for not canceling the camp.”

“Thank you for the opportunity! It was great to have the whole family participate and learn together. It must have been a lot of work to create such an organized experience!”

“Amazing people to learn from. The kids enjoyed every activity. They loved the most that they can do it all from their home. Continue to these camps. They’re super educational for the whole family and adds to family activities which are always fun. Loved that this was suitable for all ages. Being provided the materials was my favorite part of this. We wouldn’t have been able to participate without the supplies given. Thank you so much!”

“My family really enjoyed this camp. From the Investigation Instructions, the journels, to all the materials needed to complete the experiments, this was a well organized program. The Facebook Live meetings in the morning helped create a sense of connection with others during our time isolation. Thank you for providing an avenue of fun learning for all the kids and families this summer.”

“The video instructions were Awesome! The Facebook interactions were great; I appreciated that the iBIO team responded to every post of every camper. My daughter keep busy throughout the day with the activities and beyond. However, the face-to-face social interaction with kids and camp leaders was sorely missed. We hope that restrictions will be lifted by next summer. That being said our family really enjoyed camp and appreciate the well organized efforts of the leaders. We also appreciated, greatly, the professionalism and personability of the camp leaders: Awesome Group!!!”

Throughout this week the 500 campers from Illinois and 23 other states will explore a range of STEM fields and careers. Camp topics include food science/nutrition, electrical engineering, agriculture, polymer science, bioengineering and chemistry.

In addition to providing generous financial support, Abbott, Astellas and Horizon, three prominent Illinois-based life sciences companies, provided content on STEM careers and participated in panel discussions. These companies not only recognize the critical importance of early outreach to developing STEM talent and encouraging diversity in the STEM workplace, they also are providing resources and expert presenters to make the camp successful.

Here are highlights from Monday’s activity: Building a Better Bandage

STEMfamily Camp is a free virtual camp that offers hands-on experiments that are designed for the whole family to enjoy and investigate. Click here to learn more and register for STEMfamily Camp. Registration ends May 22^nd.

The online camp will offer hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) activities that help families explore a range of STEM fields and careers.. Camp topics will include food science/nutrition, electrical engineering, agriculture, polymer science, bioengineering and chemistry. Prior to beginning each day’s program, camp participants will read and/or watch content that will help them prepare for the curriculum and learn about real-life employment opportunities.

Starting the morning of June 22nd, registered families will login to the camp’s website to kick-off each daily activity, access resources and interact with program leaders. In addition to providing generous financial support, Abbott, Astellas and Horizon, three prominent Illinois-based life sciences companies, will provide content on STEM careers and participate in panel discussions. These companies not only recognize the critical importance of early outreach to developing STEM talent and encouraging diversity in the STEM workplace, they also are providing resources and expert presenters to make the camp successful.

“The COVID-19 crisis highlights the need for talented and passionate leaders in STEM fields. The need for social distancing challenged us to transform the extremely popular and successful STEMgirls Camp into a new experience that will flourish in the virtual world and ensure that we fulfil our commitment to the community,” said Ann Vogel, senior vice president of iBIO . “We are confident that STEMfamily Camp will meet that challenge, with the added benefit of now involving the entire family. We could not have made this happen without the extraordinary financial and program support of our partners.”

iBIO will provide materials and supplies for families in the North Chicago/Waukegan, Ill., area. To encourage participation by families of need, Illinois residents that do not currently have hi-speed WiFi and would like to participate in the camp’s broadband access program should indicate their interest when they register before May 22^nd. To ensure that the cost of broadband access is not a financial obstacle to participating in STEMfamily Camp, iBIO has partnered with Comcast to provide six months of free internet service for families in financial need.

Another iBIO partner for STEMfamily Camp is the Warhawk Summer Up!, a program that connects middle and high school students in North Chicago.  “Our program helps local youth – middle, high school and alumni – learn new concepts and develop work experiences that build skills and transform futures,” said KeOne Carter, program coordinator, Warhawk Summer Up!  “The STEMfamily Camp is the type of program we need in these times and in our community. We are pleased to work closely with iBIO to bring a week of family fun and learning to our neighbors.”

Click here to learn more and register for STEMfamily Camp. Registration ends May 22^nd.