Tomball ISD Students Attend Virtual STEM Camp at Rice University

TOMBALL - Tomball ISD’s Akshita Santra (THS) and Jacob Wills (TMHS) were among a select group of elite students from around the state to attend unique virtual workshops hosted by the Tapia Center for Excellence and Equity at Rice University.

Students experienced a five-day online STEM Camp led by Rice professors and experienced facilitators that builds problem solving and communications skills. As campers, Santra and Wills were able to experiment with hands-on STEM projects and were challenged to design their own heatsink, simulating the process through which heat is transferred away from the processor in a computer to keep the device from overheating.

ABOUT THE TAPIA CENTER
The Richard Tapia Center for Excellence and Equity at Rice University was founded in 1995 to promote greater participation of underrepresented minorities and women in the sciences and engineering and empower them to be future leaders. The Center’s founder, Dr. Richard Tapia, is internationally known for his research in the computational and mathematical sciences and is a national leader in education and outreach.

Since inception, the Tapia Center has provided direct training and guidance to more than 6,000 students and 2,500 teachers and educated nearly 250,000 students and professionals about the importance of diversity and representation. 

ABOUT TOMBALL ISD
Tomball ISD educates students to become responsible, productive citizens by providing innovative, individually rigorous, and personally valuable educational experiences. Founded in 1908, Tomball ISD now encompasses 83 square miles in northwest Harris County and southwest Montgomery County, and is located approximately 30 miles from downtown Houston. The district currently educates over 18,000 students at 21 campuses.