Wayne State University’s C2 Pipeline program has announced its inaugural STEM Challenge, which allows high school students from across Michigan to team up with their friends to solve a problem affecting their community. Finished projects will be submitted online, and judges will award the top three teams with C2 Pipeline Ambassador Scholarships. Participants can register with a team or as an individual to be placed on a team. Registration is free and open through June 15. Register here.

The STEM Challenge is a six-week interactive virtual competition. Each team will be given their own mentor, access to weekly workshops with industry and academic professionals, and a virtual platform in which to be creative. Participants will engage with research, problem-solving, critical thinking and innovation, and each project will incorporate STEM concepts into their proposed solutions. Additionally, each participant will receive a “lab drawer” box complete with mini STEM challenges to support each week’s prompts. 

At the end of the challenge, each team will submit a video submission and an information research paper about their project, which will then be judged by a panel, along with input from social media. 

Members of the winning team will each earn a $2,500 C2 Pipeline Ambassador Scholarship, while members of the second-place team will earn $2,000 awards, and members of the third-place team will earn $1,750 awards. 

The STEM Challenge is the latest in C2 Pipeline’s efforts to keep kids engaged virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers day camps that run Monday through Thursday via Zoom, and participants are mailed a package with all of the necessary supplies to participate in the hands-on activities. 

“With all of the changes students have experienced this spring, C2 Pipeline is committed to providing consistency and support during this difficult time,” said Don Neal, C2 Pipeline program director. “We will continue to offer high-quality, engaging and cutting-edge summer programs so that students won’t miss out on having a summer camp experience.” 

To learn more about the STEM Challenge, visit c2pipeline.wayne.edu/stem-challenge or email c2pipeline@wayne.edu.