The USAARL GEMS program engages rising 4th through 11th grade students in hands‐on, inquiry‐based experiments and nurtures students’ interest in STEM career fields. USAARL’s GEMS program aims to reach students who are from southeast Alabama and who are historically underrepresented in STEM.

Camp Invention^® is an exciting summer enrichment program that provides children with opportunities to bring their biggest ideas to life while developing essential 21^st-century skills. Throughout the week, children rotate through hands-on STEM activities that encourage them to collaborate, build confidence and persistence, and invent creative solutions to real-world problems. Qualified local educators facilitate the experience and enthusiastic high school students serve as Leadership Interns.

GEMS’ mission is to interest young people, who might not otherwise give serious thought to becoming scientists or engineers, in STEM careers early enough that they have the time to attain the appropriate academic training. The program is based on a multi-disciplinary educational curriculum, and is focused on age and grade-appropriate hands-on activities, in areas such as science, engineering, mathematics, computational sciences, computational biology, biomedical sciences, chemistry and biology.

Unite is a four-to-six week, pre-collegiate summer experience for talented high school students from priority populations in STEM. Held at higher education institutions across the country, Unite encourages students to pursue college majors and careers in engineering and other STEM-related fields through a program of focused hands-on rigorous academics, enrichment and career exploration.

Summer 2025 applications open February 2025. More information coming soon. 

Research Experiences for STEM Educators and Teachers (RESET), a division of the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), is designed to provide high school and middle school STEM educators with high-quality professional development along with an authentic summer research experience at participating Army Research Laboratories and Centers. The program serves educators nation-wide while prioritizing those who serve communities of priority populations. RESET immerses STEM educators in authentic research so that they are equipped to provide students with opportunities to apply STEM concepts within real-world contexts.

Junior Solar Sprint (JSS), administered by the Technology Student Association (TSA) through a grant awarded by the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), is an educational program for 5th through 8th grade students with the goal of creating the fastest, most interesting and best crafted solar-vehicle possible. Students will design, build and race solar powered cars using hands-on engineering skills and principles of science and math, develop teamwork and problem solving abilities, investigate environmental issues and gain hands-on STEM skills. To register, scroll to the map and click on the link in your state to get started today!

To find program locations, click on a state in the map below or download a locations list.