Lucky Lexington County students can now attend STEM summer camps.

The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Math Outreach Center has planned Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math camps.

“Our summer camps appeal to students who want to challenge themselves, make new friends, and explore the STEM world,” said Randall M. LaCross, GSSM vice president for Outreach and Global Initiatives.

The student-teacher ratio is 15:1, allowing an interactive and engaging environment.

“This was an awesome experience. I’m so glad I took this course. Before I took it, I was certain I wasn’t interested in a career in engineering but now I certainly am,” a student said.

The camps are:

• iTEAMS Xtreme Next Generation for rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who like robotics and game design programming. They’ll program their own micro-controlled robot and pit it against other students’ robots in Maze Runner and Robot Wars competitions.

• CREATEng for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. Students assume the role of NASA engineers charged with establishing a sustainable colony on Mars. Students discuss topics with guest speakers and see engineering in action. The Lexington County camp is June 15-18 at Lexington Technology Center.

• GoSciTech provides a taste of college life for rising 8th, 9th, and 10th graders who live on GSSM’s Harts-ville campus where they overcome challenges at a weeklong STEM camp.

For dates, locations, and details visit www.scgssm.org/camps or contact Outreach Center Program Coordinator Melissa Hoffman at camps@scggsm.org or 843-383-3958.

Tom Poland writes the weekly Down South column. Contact him at tompol@earthlink.net .