South Dakota Mines To Host Rapid City Area Schools STEM-Based Camps

Rapid City Area Schools (RCAS) and South Dakota Mines are again partnering to train and inspire the next generation of engineers and healthcare workers.

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 8:45 a.m.-2 p.m., the university will play host to RCAS' inaugural Engineering Camp, while on Wednesday, Jan. 31, from 8:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m., RCAS will hold its second annual Scrubs Camp, focusing on healthcare careers, once again at the university. Both events will be held at the Surbeck Center.

“One of the goals of the RCAS Pathways Program is to eventually have a camp experience for each of our nine pathway areas,” says Bobbie Jo Donovan, RCAS college and career readiness manager. “This year we added in the Engineering Camp as well as a Cyber Camp that was held in December. By implementing two to three camps each year, students enrolled in the sophomore level introductory pathway courses will be given an opportunity to dive a little deeper into the careers within the pathway they have an interest in.” 

Engineering Camp will consist of five rotations: electrical and computer engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, a campus tour and CAT Lab tour.

"With this being our first experience with the RCAS Engineering Camp, we are excited about the opportunity students will have to explore all of the career opportunities with the various areas of engineering,” says Donovan. “The hope is to provide students with a hands-on activity that helps them to understand the different areas and which area may be of interest to them.”

The Scrubs Camp will feature eight rotations: biomedical sciences, anesthesiology, EMT, radiology, dental hygienist, physical therapy, behavioral health and primary care nursing.

“Scrubs Camps are designed to increase awareness of education, skills and understanding of health careers available in South Dakota through interactive activities taught by professionals in the health care field,” says Donovan.