General STEM Extracurriculars in the DMV
Explore a curated short list of extracurricular activities in the DMV that encompass a wide range of STEM disciplines. Made with the help of alumni of these programs.
Quick Info
Who
Rising 9th graders, age 14 and older
What
From a former student:
"The KID Museum’s Teen Innovator Program is a great opportunity to be introduced to and learn about hands-on “maker” skills, such as woodworking, soldering, electronics, textiles, laser cutting, and 3D-printing. Participants will work on cooperative and independent projects, in which they will personally design and construct various objects, ranging from Bluetooth speakers to games to large-scale exhibits."
Where
KID Museum, 3 Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda, MD
When
January to June
Cost
Free, stipend received at the end of the program
Ratings
Cost
N.S., '23-'24
T.L., '23-'24
1 being the most expensive, 10 being free with stipends
Value
N.S., '23-'24
T.L., '23-'24
1 being not valuable at all, 10 being extremely valuable
"I entered the Teen Innovator Program without any prior experience in hands-on workshop skills. However, by the end of the program, I felt fully competent to autonomously perform woodworking, electronics, soldering, 3D-printing, and much more. These hands-on skills that I learned from the Teen Innovator Program are skills that will undoubtedly come in handy later as I pursue a STEM education and career."
"It was great at helping me get an idea for my interests by exposing me to different careers as well as skillsets that I can use in the future and potentially in a future career."
Difficulty
N.S., '23-'24
T.L., '23-'24
1 being very easy, 10 being extremely difficult
(Time spent, transportation, break time, etc.)
"The program is dedicated to teaching participants how to perform hands-on workshop skills. There are scarcely any deadlines, expectations, or requirements that participants need to worry about; rather, it is a very friendly environment in which participants can try out new skills without fear of messing up."
"It did not contain many challenging activities. It is only once a week, so balancing this with other things was never a problem for me."
Program Qualities
According to Alumni
Independent work
Peer-based collaborative work
Mentorship
Hands-on learning
Research
Lecture-styled learning
Rigid scheduling
High-commitment
Open-ended (freedom of creativity on work)
Flexible scheduling
Instructor-led
Self-paced
Low-commitment
Fun
Project building
Skill learning
Alumni Testimonials
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Quick Info
Who
U.S. citizens in grades 9-12 or currently enrolled at a U.S. college or university
What
From a former student:
"Naval Horizons is an essay contest where you choose a video to watch from a wide variety of options. Each video is someone who works at the Navy or Marine Corps in a specialized STEM discipline. After watching the video, you write an essay about what that discipline entails, its importance to the Navy and the future of the discipline."
Where
Online
When
Competition opens early April and closes mid June
Cost
Free, selected winners receive $200
Ratings
Cost
1 being the most expensive, 10 being free with stipends
Value
1 being not valuable at all, 10 being extremely valuable
Difficulty
1 being very easy, 10 being extremely difficult
(Time spent, transportation, break time, etc.)
N.T., '25
N.T., '25
"With such a large volume of videos to choose from, you're able to either use the competition to learn about new disciplines or write about something you have a background in."
N.T., '25
"There is extensive time to write so that is unlikely to be an issue. On the other hand, writing a detailed essay about a predetermined topic in order to win a competition is not a simple task."
Program Qualities
According to Alumni
Independent work
Research
Open-ended (freedom of creativity on work)
Flexible scheduling
Self-paced
Low-commitment
Fun
Skill learning
Peer-based collaborative work
Mentorship
Hands-on learning
Lecture-styled learning
Rigid scheduling
Instructor-led
High-commitment
Project building