2026 June

Celebrating Success: Summer 2026 STEM Cohorts Wrap Up!

Category: Program Spotlights / Community Outreach

Author: CMSEE Team

Today marks the official conclusion of our Summer 2026 STEM Program at UNLV! Over the last five days, our campus has been buzzing with energy, curiosity, and innovation as local elementary and middle school students dove headfirst into the worlds of robotics, artificial intelligence, and chemistry.

It has been an incredible week of growth—not just for our young participants, but also for the UNLV student mentors who gained vital experiential learning by leading these classrooms. Our research-to-practice model truly came to life as university-tested concepts were transformed into hands-on, daily discoveries.

Projects Completed and Certificates Earned

On this final day, students successfully wrapped up their core projects and put their hard work on display:

  • Our youngest engineers (Grades 1-2) finalized their block-based Snap! programs, successfully guiding their Finch robots through complex geometric paths and life-cycle simulations.
  • The AI pioneers (Grades 3-5) completed their final builds, showcasing how platforms like Google Teachable Machine can be trained to solve real-world environmental and scientific challenges.
  • The middle school chemists (Grades 6-8) conducted their final investigations, bridging the gap between everyday physical phenomena and laboratory science.

To celebrate their dedication and curiosity, every student stepped up to receive their well-earned Certificate of Completion. Seeing the pride on their faces as they held their certificates was the perfect finale to a wonderful week.

Until Next Time, Future Innovators!

While this summer session has come to a close, the journey doesn’t stop here. We hope the critical thinking skills, new friendships, and scientific curiosity sparked this week stay with our students long into the future.

A major thank you goes out to our brilliant instructors, supportive families, and community partners for making this week possible. Until next time, dear students—keep exploring, keep asking questions, and keep building the future!

Don’t Miss Our Next Cohort! Because our youth programs are funded through rolling community grants, enrollment windows open dynamically throughout the year. Make sure you are the first to know when our Fall and Spring Saturday STEM sessions open for registration by joining our notification list.

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Research in the Classroom: Inside Our Summer 2026 STEM Cohorts

Date: June 4, 2026

Category: Program Spotlights / Community Outreach

Author: CMSEE Team

This week, the UNLV campus welcomed bright young minds from across the valley for our Summer STEM Program. Hosted by the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education (CMSEE), these cohorts provide a unique environment where advanced educational research directly shapes real-world learning.

Our summer sessions are built around a “research-to-practice” framework. This model serves a dual purpose: it gives local K-8 students access to evidence-based STEM concepts, while providing UNLV students with essential experiential learning opportunities as they lead, mentor, and teach the next generation.

A Look Inside the Summer 2026 Tracks

This summer’s grant-funded lineup spanned multiple age groups, targeting key developmental milestones in STEM literacy:

  • Early Coding & Robotics (Grades 1-2): Young learners used Finch robots and Snap! block-based programming to explore geometric shapes and biological life cycles, reinforcing foundational math and science concepts through movement.
  • Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals (Grades 3-5): Led by an AWS Top-Certified AI Professional, students utilized tools like Google Teachable Machine and NASA AI platforms to discover how technology helps scientists track wildlife and predict weather patterns.
  • The Curious Chem Lab (Grades 6-8): Middle schoolers investigated the everyday chemistry behind physical phenomena, using an exploratory approach to bridge the gap between abstract science and the tangible world around them.

Looking Ahead

Because many of our community programs are made possible through rolling grant funding, our specific course offerings adapt from season to season. While the Summer 2026 cohorts have concluded their sessions, our framework remains a permanent fixture of CMSEE’s mission to strengthen regional K-12 STEM education.

We want to extend a sincere thank you to our participating families, our local school district partners, and the dedicated UNLV student mentors who made this week a success.

Stay Notified for Future Cohorts
Want to ensure you don’t miss the application window for our upcoming Fall and Spring Saturday STEM programs? Join our year-round registry notification list to receive direct updates as soon as new grant funding and registration dates are finalized.

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