In the Edwards Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) on the University of Memphis campus, paper buildings rise, pipe cleaner figurines line handmade streets and groups of fifth graders lean over the tables, debating the best way to bring their miniature city to life. To an outside observer, it might look like a week of summer camp fun.
To the students participating in the University of Memphis’ Bridges to Engineering camp, it’s something much bigger: a first glimpse into the world of engineering, innovation and the countless possibilities a future in STEM can offer. It’s also the first step in a journey that International Paper is helping make possible through its long-standing investment in STEM education across West Tennessee.
Hosted through the West Tennessee STEM Hub, the weeklong camp introduces elementary, middle and high school students to engineering through hands-on design challenges, teamwork and conversations with professionals working across STEM fields. The goal is to help students see themselves in careers they may have never considered. The Hub’s broader mission is to expand access to STEM education across West Tennessee by connecting K–12 students, educators, higher education and industry partners to build tomorrow’s workforce.
“This particular program is oriented around helping students understand what engineers do, what career pathways look like, the really diverse range of things that you can do through these fields,” said Dr. Stephanie Ivey, director of the West Tennessee STEM Hub and professor of civil engineering. “The whole week is focused on how engineers make a positive impact in our community.”
As a global manufacturing company that depends on innovation, engineering talent and a skilled workforce, International Paper recognizes that preparing tomorrow’s leaders begins long before students choose a college major. Through its partnership with the University of Memphis and the West Tennessee STEM Hub, the company is helping remove barriers to STEM education while inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers.
For many students, those opportunities are only possible because of community partners like International Paper.
“All students don’t have access to the same level of STEM programming at their school,” Ivey said. “Summer camps are super expensive. Ours does not have any academic or cost barriers associated with it.”
That accessibility is intentional.
Students travel from across West Tennessee, including rural communities and neighboring states, to participate in the camps. By requiring no fee for entry and providing materials and snacks, the program ensures that curiosity and motivation, rather than a family’s ability to pay, determines who gets the chance to explore STEM.
Lavitta Means, project manager for the West Tennessee STEM Hub, sees the transformation every summer.
“A lot of kids don’t get exposed to STEM-related careers or activities,” she said. “Some of them come in knowing maybe they want to be an engineer, but others come in having never heard of what engineers do … it gives them the opportunity to know other things other than a doctor, nurse or veterinarian. They get to see other careers.”
International Paper’s support helps bring those discoveries to life.
International Paper’s investment is visible in nearly every corner of the camp. Their support helps provide engineering kits, reusable materials and hands-on activities that allow students to move beyond simply learning about STEM to experiencing it firsthand. Instead of reading about engineering principles, students get to test them, refine them and discover how creativity and problem-solving work together.
“The really cool thing is that any of the kits that we use go into our STEM Lending Library,” Ivey said. “We have thousands of students and teachers that are impacted every year by IP support of this program because of the lending library.”
Those same materials are checked out by teachers across Shelby County and West Tennessee, extending the reach of a single investment into classrooms throughout the region. The Lending Library is one of the West Tennessee STEM Hub’s signature initiatives, giving educators free access to STEM equipment and lesson materials they might otherwise be unable to provide their students.
For Ivey, the impact is visible by the end of every camp session.
“They come in and they’re very uncertain,” she said. “But by the end of the week they are just totally sold, all bought in, having fun … they’re really making it possible for kids to have these ‘aha’ moments and really get excited about learning.”
Those “aha” moments may begin with a simple engineering challenge, or a handmade car racing down a ramp. Years later, they may become the foundation for a college major, a career in STEM or the next generation of innovators helping shape Memphis and beyond.
Every paper building, every engineering challenge and every “aha” moment represents more than a successful camp activity.
Together, they are the first links in a workforce pipeline that begins with curiosity and grows into the innovators, engineers and problem-solvers who will shape the future of the region. Through its partnership with the University of Memphis and the West Tennessee STEM Hub, International Paper is helping ensure that pipeline remains strong for generations to come.
