About

The Oregon State University STEM Academy offers a suite of one-week day camps for high school students (grades 9–12) held each summer on the OSU campus in Corvallis. Run through OSU's Educational Opportunities Program, the camps engage students in hands-on STEM learning across a rotating menu of topics — 3D modeling and animation with Blender, toxicology and environmental chemistry, computer science, and others — taught by university faculty, researchers, and professionals. All camps are commuter-only day programs, running approximately three hours per session (either morning or afternoon), with no overnight housing available. Most camps cost $140–$200, with needs-based scholarships available for all offerings. Registration opens in early March on a first-come, first-served basis.

The standout offering within the suite is the Veterinary Medicine Camp, which operates on a different model from the rest. Rather than open enrollment, the vet camp requires a secondary application after initial registration — and carries meaningful eligibility criteria: Oregon residency, at least 16 years old by July 20, entering junior or senior year, a B or better in all science coursework, and demonstrated maturity and curiosity about the field. Sessions include physical exam techniques, microscopy, small animal rehabilitation demonstrations, necropsy gallery viewing, clinical skills labs, career panel discussions, and a tour of OSU's veterinary hospital including large animal areas. For Oregon students seriously considering veterinary medicine, this is one of the more substantive short exposures available in the state.

For students across the broader suite, the STEM Academy's value is accessibility — affordable, on a research university campus, and designed specifically to lower the barrier to STEM exploration for Pacific Northwest students who may not have equivalent opportunities close to home.