Tech Valley Summer Camp students in the Air Traffic Control Tower at Albany International Airport
When you think of summer camp, what comes to mind? Probably arts and crafts, swimming, and campfires, right? Well, replace the arts and crafts with air traffic control, swimming with smart lighting, and campfires with green technologies, and you’ll have an idea of what campers got to experience at this year’s Tech Valley Summer Camp.
Originally set up as a feeder for Tech Valley High School, Tech Valley Summer Camp continues to play an important role in a regional strategy to introduce students to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers before they enter high school. The camp is exclusively for students entering ninth grade in the fall.
“It is very important to get students thinking about career and college as early as possible. Tech Valley Summer Camp provides students provides a wonderful opportunity to connect school-work with careers in Technology through first-hand experience,” said Ted Hennessy, Career Development Specialist at Questar III.
Each day of the five day camp is hosted by a different Tech Valley business, organization or university. Activities are led by local professionals working closely with the camp counselors (school teachers) to create an environment that engages and captivates students through hands-on activities.
This year, the camp visited Hudson Valley Community College’s Adventure Training Program, Albany International Airport (air traffic control, Army National Guard, NYSP Aviation, and the airport’s fire department), the University at Albany’s Cancer Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and WMHT.
Questar III has played an important role in funding the camp while handling marketing and online registration. When corporate funding dried up for the camp during the great recession, Questar III was able to jump in with grant funding to preserve the camp as an option. The camp also receives donations from Questar III employees via the Questar III Education Foundation.
During the past two years, Questar III staff has provided technical assistance to replicate the Tech Valley Summer Camp model to serve students from Albany City Schools and the Liberty Partnership Program. For more photos, visit our Facebook page.
