The goal of the Tapia Camps is to build and support the STEM pipeline of students, especially for women and other underrepresented groups. The award-winning Tapia Camps engage middle and high school students in various fields of STEM, and teach them teamwork and effective communicate skills as they get to experience life on the Rice University campus. Rice is one of the nation's foremost research institutions consistently ranked in the top 20 universities in the United States. The camp curriculum was developed by distinguished, research-active faculty, and is taught by Rice undergraduate and graduate students. Campers interact with faculty, industry leaders, and the 2011 National Medal of Science recipient, Rice Professor Richard Tapia who inspires students to follow their passions in STEM.

Students from across the state and around the world attend the six-day residential camps, and are challenged to solve hands-on problems. One of the main focuses of the camp is the development of communication skills that students use to explain the phenomena behind real life STEM problems. To culminate the experience, students have the opportunity to showcase their skills through visual and oral presentations as part of a competition. One past student said the camp “took away all hesitations about joining a STEM field, was motivating and challenging, and offered engaging experiences and critical thinking benefits.”

“There’s so much room for creativity in these areas, and it’s so important in the professional world to be able to communicate what you discover,” said Paul Hand, Tapia Camp Director and Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Northeastern University.

“Our goal is to give these students the best resources and opportunities to prepare them for college while simultaneously inspiring them to pursue a STEM career.” Campers explore different interests as they complete projects in subjects like biology, math, engineering, physics, and computer science.

Moreover, campers are introduced to equity concerns that modern scientists must consider as they unravel real-world problems in the camp curriculum. “We need to train future leaders, who can think critically about the relationships of algorithms, equity, and society,” said Professor Tapia, about the role of the Tapia Camp project in computer science.

Since 2015, the camps have grown from 40 participants to more than 1,300 students. Plans for 2022 include three weeks of Tapia Camps for June 19-24, June 26-July 1, and July 5-10. The Tapia Camps are run by the Tapia Center for Excellence and Equity in Education and abide by all rules and safety regulations for K12 summer programs set by Rice University. Use code “HMRICE” for a 10% discount during registration to join the Tapia Camps this summer!

To learn more about Tapia Camps and how to register, please go to tapiacamps.rice.edu