Facilitate a hands-on STEM themed activity with GROW and EXCITE
GROW and EXCITE are outreach programs for middle and high school students. They are designed to encourage and support students' interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. K-State faculty, staff and students are invited to design and facilitate hands-on activities for our workshop participants.
Why facilitate an activity?
Facilitating an activity is a great recruitment opportunity for your college, department, and field. Faculty members also often use these experiences to demonstrate the broader impacts of their research in grant proposals. Students may also use this experience as volunteer credit and include it on their resume.
KAWSE is happy to provide documentation and/or letters of support for those who collaborate with us. Contact us at kawse@k-state.edu to learn more.
What opportunities do you offer?
We host Saturday and Summer Workshops.
The Saturday Workshops, held once per semester, are open to middle-school students (grades 6-8). Each Saturday Workshop has a theme and activities should relate to that theme. These events last from 9 AM to 3:30 PM, with hands-on activities occurring at multiple times throughout the day.
The Summer Workshops are open to middle and high school students. Typically held the first week of June, the Summer Workshops are 3-day, 2-night long events with no set theme. Activities can occur at various times and for various lengths during these workshops.
How can I learn more?
Read below for more information on our upcoming Saturday and Summer Workshops. If you have additional questions, contact KAWSE via kawse@k-state.edu or by leaving us a message at 785-532-6088.
GROW/EXCITE Summer Workshop
Unlike GROW Saturday Workshops, there is no set theme for the summer workshops. Our goal is to provide students with hands-on experiences in a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math disciplines and introduce them to career options in STEM.
The summer workshops are normally attended by 50-100 students.
- GROW: middle school students who just completed grades 5, 6, and 7, ages 10-13.
- EXCITE: high school students who just completed grades 8, 9, 10 and 11, ages 13-17.
The participants will be organized by age into groups of 10-12 students. We normally have 5-6 GROW groups and 2-3 EXCITE groups. Each group will rotate through a variety of activity sessions throughout the workshop. They will be chaperoned by K-State student mentors, who will make sure the groups arrive and leave activity sessions on time. The chaperones will also be available to assist presenters throughout their activity as needed.
Activity Planning
You may choose which age groups (GROW, EXCITE or both) you wish to do an activity for. In the past, presenters have elected to do a variation of the same activity for both groups or have held two completely different activities.
You are welcome to reserve a lab or classroom of your choice for your activity, or KAWSE can reserve a room for you.
Activity sessions are hosted throughout the day during normal business hours. They begin on Wednesday in the afternoon, take place all day Thursday, and end Friday morning before lunch. Activity sessions can vary in length, however we ask that you keep your activity within the following ranges:
- GROW: 1-2 hours
- EXCITE: 1-3 hours
In order to give more students a chance to participate in your activity, we ask that you consider presenting your activity at least twice, if your availability allows. You are welcome to repeat your activity multiple times (the norm is 1-3 times).
We have a small budget for activity supplies. When completing your activity proposal form, please indicate any supplies you would like KAWSE to purchase for you. Please note that final approval of supplies is contingent upon budget availability.
Activity Proposals
Activity proposal forms will be available soon. You can submit your activity proposal using our Qualtrics form when it is posted (see below). You will receive confirmation from the KAWSE office once we have received your proposal. If you need to make changes to your proposal, please contact us as soon as possible at kawse@ksu.edu.
Activity Proposal Form (Qualtrics) (coming soon)
GROW Saturday Workshop Fall 2025
K-State faculty, staff and students are invited to design and facilitate a hands-on science, technology, engineering and/or math activity for middle school students at the Fall 2025 GROW workshop on November 8th, at the K-State campus in Manhattan.
Activity sessions are 45 minutes long and attended by 8-12 middle school students at a time. Sessions begin at 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM and 2 PM. Facilitators may choose to host the morning sessions, afternoon sessions, or all sessions. A GROW student employee will chaperone each group to and from sessions, and will be present during the activity to help facilitate as necessary. A free lunch is provided at noon for those facilitators who request one. Activity proposals will need to be submitted using Qualtrics by October 20th, 2025.
Expected attendance is between 80-100 middle school students, grades 6-8. The GROW program is organized by KAWSE. Event registration information will be available on the GROW page if you would like to register your middle school student or share with friends.
The KAWSE office is happy to provide letters of support to grant agencies for those who collaborate with us. If your grant allows, please consider including KAWSE as a part of your budget. To learn more, please contact us at kawse@ksu.edu.
Activity Planning
Once the workshop theme is finalized, it will be announced on this webpage. KAWSE staff are available to help brainstorm activity ideas and relate facilitators’ areas of expertise to the pending event theme. KAWSE can also help find student volunteers to assist with the activity.
Activity Proposals
Activity proposal forms are available now (see below). You can submit your activity proposal using our Qualtrics form. You will receive confirmation from the KAWSE office once we have received your proposal. If you need to make changes to your proposal, please contact us as soon as possible at kawse@ksu.edu.
View our example activity guide from 2024 for more information.
Saturday Workshop Activity Proposal Form (Qualtrics)
Questions?
Please contact the KAWSE office at kawse@ksu.edu, calling 785-532-6088 or visiting 215 Fairchild Hall.
View Photos from the 2023 Summer Workshop
View Example Program Booklets: