Morgan Kern, ArizonaLEND fellow and master's student in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, helped coordinate a camp for children and adolescents with autism.
"It was a pleasure to participate in the Autism STEAM Camp this year! Students from age 9 to 16 participated in several science experiments, including extracting DNA from strawberries, building catapults, and designing biomimetic hands. The camp gave students with autism the opportunity to get to know one another and engage in these fun activities. Each participant was assigned a college student mentor, which I think was one of the most valuable parts of the program. Mentors explained the basic science principles in each project and supported each participant's unique needs. The participants' enthusiasm for the camp activities was infectious, and all involved enjoyed the morning! By the end of the camp, participants and parents were asking when the next camp would be."