About
USM STEM Outreach Summer Camps & Sessions offers academic camps where participants work with LEGO Robotics, Programming in Minecraft, Astrophysics in Minecraft, 3D Printing & Design, Build Your Own Computer Camp, and CubeSat projects. Campers may assemble their own 3D printer, design and build robots, program bots using a block-based coding language, interact with touch, color, and ultrasonic sensors, complete mazes and obstacle challenges, use in-game block-based coding in Minecraft, design and code their own Minecraft mods, explore Minecraft worlds that simulate real astrophysical phenomena, and use command-line tools to make observations and collect data about different stellar bodies. Depending on the camp, participants can also learn about desktop computer components and architecture, assemble a desktop computer, build and bench test CubeSat modules with programmable sensor packages and 3D printed cases, collect and analyze data from CubeSats taken up to a high altitude, reprogram CubeSats, and create an end-of-week presentation.
• Ages: 9–17 years old
CubeSat camp uses CubeSats that are square-shaped, Rubik’s cube-sized miniature satellites that have been used in educational environments and government and industrial sectors, including projects that have gone to Mars, and there have been 1200 CubeSats that have gone into space so far. LEGO Robotics camp uses LEGO SPIKE Prime or LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kits and is for entry-level and intermediate LEGO roboteers ages 9–12. Programming in Minecraft introduces coding concepts through in-game block-based coding using a version of the Lua language, is open to ages 10–14 with no experience needed, and includes designing and coding mods that work with campers’ at-home PC versions of the game. Astrophysics in Minecraft is open to ages 10–16 with no experience needed and has campers record, analyze, and compare findings from simulated astrophysical phenomena. 3D Printing & Design is open to ages 12–16 with no experience needed, has campers assemble and calibrate their own 3D printer, use 3D modeling programs such as SketchUp and TinkerCAD, start and finish 3D prints, fix 3D printing errors, and take home their new printer, 3D filament, and the items they created; in 2023, the 3D printer used was the Ender 3 Pro V2. Build Your Own Computer Camp is open to ages 12–16 with no experience needed, and participants assemble a desktop computer to take home, with the typical finished computer being a solid, mid-range build with basic peripherals such as a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. CubeSat camp is for ages 13–17 with no experience needed, and CubeSats in the camp are taken up to a high altitude of about 14,000 feet, weather allowing, and campers keep their CubeSats at the end of the camp.
Last updated April 14, 2026.
• Ages: 9–17 years old
CubeSat camp uses CubeSats that are square-shaped, Rubik’s cube-sized miniature satellites that have been used in educational environments and government and industrial sectors, including projects that have gone to Mars, and there have been 1200 CubeSats that have gone into space so far. LEGO Robotics camp uses LEGO SPIKE Prime or LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kits and is for entry-level and intermediate LEGO roboteers ages 9–12. Programming in Minecraft introduces coding concepts through in-game block-based coding using a version of the Lua language, is open to ages 10–14 with no experience needed, and includes designing and coding mods that work with campers’ at-home PC versions of the game. Astrophysics in Minecraft is open to ages 10–16 with no experience needed and has campers record, analyze, and compare findings from simulated astrophysical phenomena. 3D Printing & Design is open to ages 12–16 with no experience needed, has campers assemble and calibrate their own 3D printer, use 3D modeling programs such as SketchUp and TinkerCAD, start and finish 3D prints, fix 3D printing errors, and take home their new printer, 3D filament, and the items they created; in 2023, the 3D printer used was the Ender 3 Pro V2. Build Your Own Computer Camp is open to ages 12–16 with no experience needed, and participants assemble a desktop computer to take home, with the typical finished computer being a solid, mid-range build with basic peripherals such as a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. CubeSat camp is for ages 13–17 with no experience needed, and CubeSats in the camp are taken up to a high altitude of about 14,000 feet, weather allowing, and campers keep their CubeSats at the end of the camp.
Last updated April 14, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.