ASAP Grant to Enhance Annual STEM Summer Camp Experience

02/23/2026

By Brett Buckner 

Dr. Ahmad Alhammouri and Dr. Amiee Weathers from Jacksonville State University’s College of Education and Professional Studies have been awarded a $50,000 Alabama Summer- and After-school Program (ASAP) grant from the Alabama State Department of Education. The grant will enable the college to expand and enable its annual STEAM summer camp, providing more immersive, hands-on STEM experiences for area students.  

In addition to increasing student participation opportunities, Jax State will introduce new activities such as field trips and enhanced family engagement components. It will support a “more intensive camp experience” for about 40 students who have completed fifth and sixth grades, said Dr. Weathers, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education.   

“While that number is smaller than last summer, the program will include deeper, more hands-on learning opportunities,” she said. “Students will participate in on-campus classes taught by faculty from the College of Education, as well as off-campus field trips to the new Challenger Learning Center and the McWane Science Center.”  

The idea of adding field trips to the annual camp came from the comprehensive data collected from parents, students, instructors, and staff last year, asking for suggestions for future improvements.   

“We really took the feedback seriously,” said Dr. Alhammouri, an Associate Department Head and Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education. “We took that information and included it this year. It’s going to be a special event for these kids.”   

With the ASAP grant, The Summer- and AfterSchool Scholar: Explore, Investigate, and Create program will implement a combined afterschool mathematics enrichment program and a week-long summer STEAM camp designed to strengthen students’ skills in math, science, engineering, and literacy through handson instruction.   

“We are going to engage the students in STEM activities in a fun way,” Dr. Alhammouri said. “Our goal is to improve their perception of mathematics and science, and advance their knowledge of these subjects.”  

Another new aspect of this year’s grant is the addition of on-site STEM days at partner schools in the area during April and August. The goal of these visits is to encourage STEM learning in after-school programs and extend the impact of the grant beyond summer camp.  

“Through this grant, we are hoping to learn more about how immersive, experience-based STEM programs impact student interest, confidence, and engagement,” Dr. Weathers said. “We want students to leave the program more confident, more curious, and more interested in STEM than when they arrived.”  

The program also introduces students and their families to the opportunities available at Jax State at an early age.  

“We can’t forget,” Dr. Alhammouri said, “these students could be future Gamecocks.”  

The initiative builds on several years of successful community partnerships and is aimed at reducing learning gaps while fostering curiosity, confidence, and realworld problemsolving skills among participating students.