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SAGE FAQs

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The Science Accelerating Girls’ Engagement (SAGE) mission is to engage curious and passionate young women and empower them to explore a wide range of possibilities for their futures. Hosted by professional leaders who share their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM), SAGE builds community, fosters innovation, and sets young women on a path to exciting careers. Learn more about SAGE Journey here.

SAGE is a week and a half long summer day-camp for high school students (ages 14-17) hosted by National Laboratory scientists and engineers to share what life is like in STEM professions. High school students will participate in hands-on activities including: hands-on scientific projects, job shadowing scientists and engineers, ORNL facility tours, STEM career talks, discussions about professional growth, and so much more. 

Camp will meet daily 10:00 AM through 4:00 PM, Monday-Friday (6/12 – 6/16) and Monday-Wednesday (6/19 – 6/21) at the American Museum of Science & Energy (AMSE) (115 E. Main St., Oak Ridge, TN 37830). Transportation to and from ORNL from AMSE will be provided during the camp’s 2nd week.

SAGE Camp 2023 applications are currently open. Please apply by April 15th, 2023!

Goals for the Camp

  • To encourage college-bound students with a passion for discovery and innovation to become a part of the STEM community. 
  • To show that STEM fields offer a diverse set of opportunities: you can balance your interests in artistic expression, research, creative writing with application of your logical thinking, analytic skills, and computational ability

 

Learning Outcomes for Students 

  • Learn about the STEM community and experience what the everyday life of a scientist or engineer is like
  • See how STEM allows you to explore and balance many interests
  • Meet women in STEM at various stages of their careers, as well as, meet and connect with other students with similar interests and become part of the SAGE community
  1. The ideal camp participant is one who is interested in STEM but has not yet decided to pursue a STEM-related course of study for College.
  2. Must be a rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grader during summer of 2023 who attends a public, private, or home school program in East Tennessee.
  3. Must be under 18 years of age as of June 21st, 2023
  4. Students identifying as female or other genders that are undererpresented in STEM will be prioritized
  5. The deadline for student applications is March 15, 2023.
  1. Interactive career chats where a scientist or engineer shares about their career and what a day in their STEM profession is like.
  2.  Hands-on projects and activities (materials will be provided) related to various STEM topics and research areas.
  3. Small group chats about building professional relationships and strengthening professional skills.
  4. Tours of AMSE and ORNL.
  5. Job-shadowing at ORNL.
  1. SAGE Summer Camp will take place daily, excluding Saturday and Sunday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, beginning on Monday, June 12th and concluding on Wednesday, June 21st, at the American Museum of Science & Energy (115 E. Main St., Oak Ridge, TN). 
  2. During the first week, all sessions will occur at AMSE. On Monday-Wednesday of the second week, students will be transported by bus from AMSE to ORNL’s main campus for a facility tours and job shadowing. They will return to AMSE in the afternoon.
  3. Students and their families are responsible for their own transportation to and from camp daily.

We will provide a What to Bring list to all accepted students, but most likely you’ll just need comfortable shoes, appropriate layers, a laptop if you have one (we will provide one for you to use if you aren’t able to bring one), and a good attitude. The camp will provide most materials. 

Yes, portions of the camp will occur at ORNL’s main campus. On June 19th-21st, students will participate in facility tours and job-shadowing at Oak Ridge National Lab. Students will be transported by bus from AMSE to ORNL and back. Camp hours will be 10 am – 4 pm each day.

Yes, please plan to attend all sessions each day to get the maximum benefit from SAGE Summer Camp. The scientists, engineers, and staff volunteering are excited to share their knowledge and hope to create an interesting, engaging, and meaningful experience for every student. Activities build on one another, so please plan on daily attendance.