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Center for Mathematics and Science Education
The University of Mississippi
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a group of kids all raise their hands as they are asked questions
A student excitedly works on a math problem on a whiteboard
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STEM Explorations (Pre-K – 8)

The Center for Mathematics and Science Education (CMSE) offers K-8 teachers an easy and convenient way for students to experience and explore the STEM fields! During STEM Explorations, students travel to the University of Mississippi and are broken into groups to participate in 3 or 4 station rotations. The stations include hands-on activities designed around current grade-level curriculum and are specifically rich in the elementary-level science content. Students will have the opportunity to learn by asking questions, observing demonstrations, completing experiments, and engaging in exciting group projects.

Due to the overwhelming response and enthusiasm for our K-12 STEM Exploration Program, we have reached capacity for this academic year. We realize this may be disappointing and sincerely apologize. Please know that we are actively working to expand our program to accommodate more opportunities for the spring semester. If you would like to be placed on a notification list, please click the Notify Me button.

Notify Me

Frequently Asked Questions

To book your STEM Exploration (field trip), locate the STEM Explorations Reservation Request Form under the “reservation request” tab above. After submitting the reservation request form, you will receive an email outlining your submission.

Please allow the CMSE at least two weeks to compile and confirm necessary logistics. During these two weeks, a CMSE staff member may reach out to you to clarify some information – please be attentive to the contact information you provided on the form.

The associated costs for each STEM Exploration is:

Event Fee – $150 is assessed per group. Financial Assistance may be available, but will be based on available funds and needs of school/group. If interested in applying, please email cmsek12stem@go.olemiss.edu.

Activity Fee –$5 is assessed per participating student. This fee covers the cost of instructional and kit materials used during activities. 

For Example – The total cost for a first grade STEM Exploration for 50 students would be:

Event Fee + (Activity Fee * # of students) = Total Cost

$150 + ($5 * 50 students) = $400 which equates to approx. $8.00/student

Please keep in mind that groups will need to budget for transportation, lunches (if applicable), and any planned activity off campus (i.e., movie, bowling, etc.).

The CMSE staff members appreciate as much advance notice as possible. We recommend booking your visit at least 1 month in advance to organize and plan a successful exploration.

Unfortunately, the CMSE does not offer STEM Explorations on weekends.

There are many options available for lunch. Here are a list of suggestions of what other groups/schools have done in the past:

on-campus dining services (The CMSE can assist with organizing on-campus lunch through dining services.) 

Picnic in the grove with pizza or sack lunches

Local restaurant options

Buses may drop students off on-campus but must park off campus in a designated lot. Buses are not required to have parking passes. Vans and vehicles may park on campus, but must obtain a visitor’s parking pass. Daily visitor parking passes ($3/vehicle) may be purchased in advance by visiting: https://www.olemiss.edu/parking/visitors.html.

Explorations are typically scheduled on weekdays and usually begin at 9:00AM and conclude by 2:00PM. However, these times can be adjusted to fit the group’s specific scheduling needs.

A typical STEM Exploration consists of hands-on activities relevant to current grade level curriculum requirements and are designed to build student knowledge of the subject matter. Each activity typically lasts 30 minutes, making an entire STEM Exploration 3 hours depending on the number of activities (3 or 4).

Although there are some limitations to STEM Explorations, we try our best to accommodate as many students as possible. Each exploration will bring its own limitations. After completing the reservation request form, each individual request will be considered and further communication will take place via email.