STEM Research Academy & Camps

Challenge to Excellence (C2E) Summer Camp is an immersive and engaging week-long experience for middle and high school students. This residential and commuter camp blends academic enrichment with creative expression, cultural exploration, and recreational activities. Campers participate in hands-on classes ranging from the science of learning and astronomy to 3D printing, theatre, and geology.

Each day is filled with dynamic experiences such as sustainable projects, anatomy observations, bowling, swimming, and outdoor field trips to local nature destinations. With guidance from expert instructors and dedicated counselors, students explore new interests, build lasting friendships, and develop skills that inspire excellence in and beyond the classroom.

Now in its 42nd year, Challenge to Excellence is one of the most respected and long-standing summer residential programs for academically-talented students in the Midwest. The program’s major goal is to provide students with opportunities to “stretch themselves” in learning experiences that promote higher level thinking skills and creativity in a variety of academic subjects, such as math, art, psychology, drama, biology and many others. Camp staff are creative teachers and counselors who are dedicated to providing safe, fun learning experiences for campers.

Many of our former campers have matriculated at our finest universities and are now teachers, doctors, engineers, journalists, computer scientists and pharmacists. One of our former Challenge to Excellence students received a Pulitzer Prize for journalism.

Contact Information

The STEM Research Academy at Southern Illinois University (SIU) is a dynamic summer initiative coordinated by the STEM Education Research Center (SERC). It offers high school students the unique opportunity to engage in authentic research experiences alongside SIU faculty and staff. In 2024, the program featured diverse research projects across disciplines such as physics, biology, computing, media arts, agriculture, and environmental science. Students are also encouraged to propose their own research ideas, with SERC assisting in faculty-student matching. The academy fosters early exposure to higher education research, inspiring future STEM careers through immersive, hands-on learning.

Southern Illinois University is excited to announce a new 4-week Summer Researchers Camp. A wide range of projects are available and campers submit their top choices when completing camp registration. Studies include whitel light solar flares, the US Supreme Court, Mississippi River Wetlands, algae, white-tailed deer and more. 

Learn more and apply here

Involving Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Math
July 14-17, 2025 6th-8th grades

Girls STEAM Camp is a four-day program designed for middle school students to explore science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and math during the summer break from school.
Faculty and students from the College of Engineering, College of Applied Sciences and Arts, College of Science, and College of Agricultural Science will lead students through hands-on experiments, exploring the natural environment, and engaging demonstrations.

The goal is to explore the world around us, to enhance confidence in problem-solving, to meet new people, and to spark our students' interest in important careers that can improve the world in which we live.

Sponsored by the STEM Education Research Center (SERC) in collaboration with the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences; College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics; College of Liberal Arts; College of Arts and Media; College of Health and Human Sciences; School of Medicine; and School of Education.

Assistance may be available to cover some costs, please complete a scholarship application if needed.
*Please note, that SIU is committed to gender inclusivity. As such, this camp is open to all persons, including boys.

Cost

Camp Fee:  $140

Registration

• Registration Form (PDF)
• Register Online

Phone: 618-536-7751

Registration deadline is July 7, 2025

Contact Information

Angela Henson
Camp Director
For camp questions
abox@siu.edu

This July, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) is joining forces with SIU Carbondale to bring a high-tech, hands-on summer experience to Southern Illinois. Both organizations are devoted to enhancing the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) literacy of the general public as well as the development of future leaders in these fields.

Students will engage in hands-on explorations into engineering lead by staff from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) and SIU STEM Education Research Center, assisted by future math and science education teachers working toward their undergraduate university degrees. Most of the activity will take place in Pulliam Hall, but students will also have an opportunity to be outside and see other areas of the SIU Carbondale campus.

If your child is entering 6th, 7th, or 8th grade, they are invited to step into the world of Sensory Engineering.

Registration

Register Online

Registration Form

Phone 618-536-7751

Registration deadline is July 7, 2025

Contact Information

Patrick Young
Camp Director
For camp questions
patrick.young@siu.edu