Many of our past STEM YEA students have said it's their first time away from home overnight. Our Team will treat your children as if they were OUR children. Your children will learn, and their world will expand.
Congratulations on being a registered participant in the STEM Youth Explorer Academy
Congratulations on being a registered participant in the STEM Youth Explorer Academy in its fourth year of operation! Your school nominated you, and your local Rotary Club sponsored you.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. YEA stands for Youth Explorer Academy. STEM YEA is a program developed by the Rotary District 7430 STEM YEA Team and sponsored by Rotary Clubs in Bucks, Berks, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton counties. The program is designed to provide a team learning experience focusing on “Astrobiology: The Search for Life on Mars.”
You will have the opportunity to work with other middle school students. Your days and evenings will be filled with exciting opportunities to learn about and develop a project related to Mars exploration as a member of a student team. The STEM Youth Explorer Academy is located at Kutztown University, 15200 Kutztown Road, Kutztown, PA 19530.
All students will be assigned to a room in a Kutztown University dorm for the duration of the weekend. STEM YEA is a co-educational experience. Male and female students are housed in separate areas. We expect all students to treat each other respectfully throughout the weekend. Rotary volunteers will monitor the floors overnight.
Please arrive on Thursday, July 10, 2025, between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. Registration will take place at University Place, the dorm we are using this year. Park in Lot C3 (refer to the blue line on the map for directions to the parking lot). This lot is past the Water Tower.
You will check into your dorm room following registration, and the Academy will begin at precisely 2:00 pm. The STEM YEA team of Rotarians will register you and provide detailed information about your dormitory assignment. In most cases, you will share a room with another student from the STEM Youth Explorer Academy.
The Graczyk Family champions STEM YEA! Daughters Kylie (Class of 2022) and Amelia (Class of 2024) both attended STEM YEA.
The STEM YEA team provides you with a backpack, name badge, pens, lab manuals, luggage tags, and a STEM YEA tee shirt.
Please bring the following items:
1. Substantial shoes (sneakers or leather shoes). For safety reasons, you are not permitted to wear sandals, flip-flops, or open-toed footwear.
2. Sleeping bag or bed linens, a pillow, and a pillowcase. No linens will be provided.
3. Soap, towels, and washcloths; other toiletry items you want to use – toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.
4. Enough clothing for two changes per day for 4 days. Shorts and T-shirts are appropriate. No laundry facilities will be available.
5. A light jacket or sweater. A rain jacket and hat in the case of inclement weather.
6. Phones will be kept in the dorm rooms and not used during the daily activities.
come ready to learn & Cooperate with team members
Your days will be filled with interesting and exciting collaborative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math opportunities. Be prepared to enjoy the learning and make new friends.
Parents and Guardians: You are invited to attend the student teams' presentations on Sunday afternoon at the Al Engel Science Fair. Please plan to arrive at 2:10 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, to collect your student and their luggage. Come to the University Place dorm # 44 on the map. This is the same dorm where you left your student on Thursday.
You will retrieve your student and take their luggage to your car. There are optional tours of the Kutztown University campus from 2:30-4:00 PM. These are 20-minute tours starting at the New Kutztown University Welcome Center.
At 4 PM, the Al Engel Science Fair begins on the second floor of the South Dining Hall. All students present the habitats they have developed during the Project Building sessions. Your student will walk you to the South Dining Hall. Following the Presentations, you are invited to join the STEM YEA students and volunteers for a Celebration dinner. You must register for the dinner. We will provide you with the necessary information to register for the dinner. The dinner concludes at 7 PM.
If for some reason your daughter or son must cancel their attendance, please contact us at Registration@stemyea.com.
Expectations for Students
Teamwork is a vital part of our STEM YEA program. We believe in the power of collaboration and the strength it brings to problem-solving. So, make sure to collaborate effectively with your team members.
Respect is another critical component of our STEM Youth Explorer program. It's crucial to show respect to your teachers, interns, volunteers, Kutztown University staff, and your fellow students. Sometimes, you will discuss and debate solutions to problems and how you will build your project.
Ask questions, take advantage of the knowledge of those around you, and enjoy meeting people. If you have a question or a problem or feel uncomfortable, speak with one of the teachers, interns, or Rotary volunteers. We are all invested in your success and want you to love every moment of these days.
Bring your STEM YEA backpacks filled with lab journals, manuals, and pens daily. Be ready to enjoy the day by getting your sleep, and try to keep your dorm room neat and uncluttered!
On a typical day, we will wake you at 7:00 AM and leave the Lehigh Dorm at 8:00 for breakfast at the Dining Hall. After breakfast, we will walk to the science and academic buildings across campus.
You will receive directions for each day in the lobby of the Science Building, including information about the team with whom you will work. We will return to the Dining Hall for lunch and dinner; please sit with the other STEM YEA participants.
The day is full of STEM Learning Activities and Project-Building sessions. In the evenings, you will learn more about astrobiology and Rotary International, this event's sponsor.
Please call your parent/guardian once each day. They will wonder what you are doing and want to hear more about what you are learning. We do not use phones during the STEM or Project-Building sessions unless the teacher or leader asks us to do calculations or use the phone for research.
KEEP YOUR LANYARD WITH YOUR DORM KEY ON YOU AT ALL TIMES…. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU GO TO THE SHOWER OR BATHROOM. YOU NEED THE KEY CARD TO GET BACK INTO YOUR ROOM. KEEP YOUR NAME TAG ON YOU AND VISIBLE.
If you have a problem or need a nurse, there will be hall monitors in the evenings and overnight. Nurse Sue will distribute your medicines and answer questions. be filled with interesting and exciting collaborative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math opportunities. Be prepared to enjoy the learning and make new friends. The days will be filled with interesting learning experiences.