15 STEM Summer Programs in Wyoming for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
STEM is an area that attracts many students early on. If you are one of them, you can consider attending a STEM summer program. Summer programs are a way to explore specific areas like science, technology, or engineering in more detail and build your understanding step by step.
In Wyoming, STEM summer programs are often built around hands-on learning. You might spend time building small projects, experimenting with simple materials, or trying out beginner-level coding. Some camps also include activities like robotics, basic engineering challenges, or outdoor science exploration, which help you understand how concepts apply outside a classroom setting.
Why should I do a STEM summer program in middle school?
These programs help you build early skills like problem-solving, logical thinking, and working through tasks carefully. You also learn how to stay focused on a problem and complete it, which becomes important as subjects get more detailed in high school. Staying local helps you avoid travel and housing costs, making these programs easier to attend. At the same time, they help you build confidence early and give you a strong base before moving into high school.
With that, here are 15 STEM summer programs in Utah for middle school students!
15 STEM Summer Programs in Wyoming for Middle School Students
Location: University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Cost: Registration through schools
Application Deadline: First-come, first-served (limited spots)
Dates: May 19
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–12 from schools across Wyoming
The Youth in STEM Conference at the University of Wyoming runs as a full-day event where you move across different workshops and activities. You choose three hands-on workshops from a large pool of options, which can include topics like artificial intelligence, machine coding, DNA extraction, 3D printing, or building LED circuits. Throughout the day, you meet professionals working in scientific and technical fields, which gives you a clearer sense of how these areas connect to real careers. You also attend sessions on subjects like pharmacy, geology, clean energy, and planetarium-based learning. The program includes a campus tour, and activities take place across different buildings, so you are constantly moving between spaces and topics.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies | Financial aid available
Application deadline: Varies based on cohort
Dates: Eight weeks | Timing varies by cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
Lumiere’s Junior Explorers Program is a selective online research experience for middle school students, designed to build advanced academic writing and research skills. You begin by selecting a subject area, such as STEM, humanities, or social sciences, and are matched with a PhD-level mentor from a top university. Over the course of the program, you receive a structured introduction to your chosen field, then design and carry out an independent research project focused on a real-world question. To strengthen your writing and analytical abilities, you conclude the program by producing a formal research paper that presents your findings.
Location: Rock Springs & Gillette, WY
Cost: Unspecified
Application Deadline: Unspecified
Dates: March 20 – 21 (tentatively); May 15 – 16 (tentatively)
Eligibility: Youth members new to 4-H Robotics, experienced members, and adult volunteers
The Wyoming 4-H Robotics Academy focuses on how robotics systems are built, programmed, and improved for competition settings. You work through tasks like setting up robots, troubleshooting issues, and adjusting performance based on testing. The sessions include programming and operating robots for formats such as Sumo and AgRobotics challenges, which introduce you to competition-style problem solving. You also take part in hands-on activities where you test ideas and refine your approach as problems come up. Mentors and volunteers explain how teams organize practice and prepare for competitions, which adds another layer to the experience.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies | Financial aid available
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines. You can apply to the program here.
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) during the spring cohort and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort.
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is a virtual program that teaches middle school students the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Over 25 hours, you will learn the basics of Python as well as topics like data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. Students learn through lectures and group sessions with a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio. Previous student projects have included building a machine-learning model to classify music genres and creating a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.
Location: Science Initiative, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Cost: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: Not specified
Eligibility: PreK-12 students via schools statewide
The Science Initiative Roadshow brings university-led STEM sessions directly into schools, where you work through experiments and activities designed around active learning. You are guided by undergraduate and graduate students along with instructors, which means you see how different levels of study approach the same topic. The sessions are flexible and can take place in classrooms, labs, or outdoor settings, depending on the activity. Teachers are involved in shaping the content, so it connects to what you are already studying while adding new depth. You also get exposure to current research from the university, which changes how familiar topics are explained.
Location: Science Initiative, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Unspecified
Dates: Unspecified
Eligibility: PreK-12 students at schools statewide
STEM Days at the University of Wyoming runs as a one-day event where you rotate through different stations set up by professionals and university partners. Each station focuses on a specific area, and you take part in activities that show how that field works in practice. You move through experiments, demonstrations, and small exercises that connect directly to real-world applications. The structure keeps you engaged since you are constantly switching between topics. Through these rotations, you start to see how different STEM fields fit together.
Location: Jackson campus, Jackson, WY
Cost: $525 per week; extended day $75 per week
Application Deadline: Unspecified
Dates: Multiple week-long options from June 15 to August 21
Eligibility: Entering 6th-7th grade
Bobcats Summer Camp takes place in an outdoor setting where you spend your time on field investigations and community science projects. You go on extended hikes, work through environmental observations, and take part in activities that require teamwork and coordination. The program also includes low-ropes courses and camping experiences in Grand Teton National Park, which adds a different dimension to the work. As you move through the program, you practice leadership and problem-solving in situations that are less structured than a classroom.
Location: University of Wyoming campus, Laramie, WY
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: April 30
Dates: July 12 – 18
Eligibility: Students entering 7th or 8th grade
Astro Camp at the University of Wyoming focuses on space science through both classroom sessions and field activities. You study what it would take to travel to and explore a planet in another star system, which shapes the topics you work through. The program includes trips to nearby mountain ranges, where you apply scientific ideas in real conditions. You work with teachers and undergraduate counselors who guide your learning and projects. The selection process includes an essay, which reflects the program’s focus on students with a strong interest in science and engineering.
Location: College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Cost: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: As requested
Eligibility: K-12 classes statewide
In this program, you explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through activities at the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. You participate in hands-on exercises alongside current CEPS students and visit advanced labs and innovation centers to see how STEM concepts are applied. The program is designed to connect K–12 students with university-level resources, giving you insight into academic pathways and opportunities in STEM fields. Additional materials provide context and guidance to support your learning throughout the experience.
Location: Jackson, WY
Cost: Starting at $250 (varies by tour)
Application Deadline: Unspecified
Dates: Year‑round (with certain group tours available primarily June–September)
Eligibility: Open to youth groups, including middle school students
Wyoming Stargazing programs place you in outdoor settings where you observe the night sky with guidance from astronomers. You begin with sunset views that shift into full night observations, which change how you see the environment around you. You take part in activities like astrophotography, deep-space observation using large telescopes, and guided discussions about what you are seeing. Some sessions include solar astronomy or indoor presentations, depending on the format. The experience is shaped by Wyoming’s dark skies, which makes the observations more detailed than usual.
Location: Various sites, including Eastside Elementary, Cody, WY; Prairie Wind Elementary, Gillette, WY
Cost: Starts at $285
Application Deadline: Unspecified
Dates: Offered during the summer, varies by location
Eligibility: Entering grades K-6 (middle school adjacent)
Camp Invention runs as a multi-day program where you work through engineering challenges and creative problem-solving tasks. You take part in themed activities where you design inventions, solve cryptography-based problems, and build systems that respond to different scenarios. Some projects involve creating rockets or designing solutions for planetary environments, which adds a storytelling element to the work. You spend most of your time building, testing, and adjusting your ideas as new challenges come up. The structure encourages you to think through problems rather than follow fixed steps.
Location: Online
Cost: Tuition-free
Application Deadline: March 25
Dates: Summer course: July 6 – 24; Fall meetings: August 26 – December 9
Eligibility: Current grades 6–7, U.S. residents attending U.S. schools, low-income households (typically under $90,000)
The Stanford Middle School Summer Program (SMSSP) is designed for middle school students from low-income backgrounds who are preparing to apply to academically demanding high schools. The program begins with a three-week summer session conducted online and continues into the fall with weekly classes. These sessions cover topics such as academic writing, math enrichment, study skills, and an introduction to different types of high school programs. You attend live online classes taught by instructors from Stanford Online High School, many of whom have advanced academic training. During the sessions, you participate in discussions with other students from different parts of the country while working through the course material.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: No deadline
Dates: Self-paced, available year-round
Eligibility: All female middle school students are eligible
In the Girls Who Code Python activities, you learn introductory programming concepts using Python, a commonly used text-based language. The activities include guided exercises that show how coding can be used in projects such as building a simple chatbot, analyzing datasets, and creating visualizations. As you work through the material, you practice generating and interpreting different types of charts, including line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, histograms, and scatter plots. One exercise uses publicly available Kickstarter data to demonstrate how real-world datasets can be gathered, organized, and analyzed. Through these activities, you begin developing basic data science skills such as cleaning data, identifying patterns, and drawing conclusions based on evidence.
Location: Online and in-person camps (sites vary by year)
Cost: Free
Application deadline: Not specified
Dates: Multiple two-week camps in the summer
Eligibility: Women and gender expansive teens who are 13–18 years old
Kode With Klossy Summer Camps are two-week programs offered at no cost for middle and high school students who identify with genders that are underrepresented in STEM. In the camp, you select one of four tracks: web development, data science, mobile app development, or machine learning. Each track introduces programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, Swift, and HTML/CSS, along with technical concepts related to the chosen focus area. During the program, you work on projects that apply the skills covered in the curriculum. Depending on the track, this may involve creating a website, building a mobile application, developing a chatbot, or analyzing datasets. By the end of the program, you will complete a final project that reflects the coding and technical concepts you practiced during the sessions.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by course (financial aid available)
Dates: Year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 2–12
Johns Hopkins CTY Online Courses give you access to subjects that usually come much later in school, especially across areas like computer science, engineering, space science, and forensic analysis. You choose a course based on your interest, and the format can vary depending on how you prefer to learn; some run on a schedule with live sessions, while others let you move at your own pace. As you work through the material, you complete assignments and receive detailed feedback from instructors, which helps you adjust how you approach problems.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1–1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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