Texas Workforce Commission awards Dr. Tilisa Thibodeaux to lead STEM summer camps

 Dr. Tilisa Thibodeaux, Dean of the Reaud Honors College, has received nearly $100,000 in funding from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to conduct cutting-edge summer camps for students interested in STEM disciplines.

The Governor’s Summer Merit Program, administered by the Texas Workforce Commission, makes nearly $1,000,000 available to educational institutions across Texas to organize summer camps for students to prepare them for advanced, high-tech careers.  Focused on target industry clusters that have STEM foundations, the project aims to advance Texas’ footprint in pioneering industries into the future.

Lamar University’s program, named Innovation ColLABoration, will build off successful camps held in previous summers and engage students aged 13 to 21 years old in subjects ranging from robotics to aerospace science to the science of brewing soda. “Campers will engage in experiential learning opportunities where they will explore STEM majors and career pathways in a non-traditional, flexible learning environment ranging from astronomy to engineering to petroleum refining,” Dr. Thibodeaux said.  Campers will also visit the Port of Beaumont to learn more about STEM education and experience the operation of a world-class port first-hand.

Three one-week camps will be held throughout June 2024 on the Lamar University campus with a total capacity of 180 students over the length of the program. 

 “Campers will have fun working with outstanding Lamar University professors and industry partners to build and program VEX robots for competition. These young learners will also learn to walk on water using Non-Newtonian Fluids and create a catapult M&M’s using Quadratic Equations, to name a few," Dr. Thibodeaux said. 

Dr. Thibodeaux is the Dean of the Reaud Honors College and Principal/Director of the Texas Academy.  Since joining Lamar University in 2015, she has become an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and is very involved in the University community while leading several successful student camps, serving as advisor for undergraduate student research projects, and a community liaison for the academic units in which she leads.

Camps are supported by the Texas Academy, Reaud Honors College, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Center for Midstream Management and Science, the Center for Advances in Port Management, the Port of Beaumont, Emerson/Scallon Controls, and Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas.

To learn more about the Innovation ColLABoration summer camp at Lamar University please visit https://www.lamar.edu/texas-academy/texas-governors-school.html