STEM Programs in Killeen, TX

Open to identified Killeen ISD GT students entering grades 7-9 in the 2025-26 school year. **Students must currently be receiving GT services within Killeen ISD. Please verify before registering for camp. Students are verified by the district, and ONLY eligible students may attend - no siblings unless they are also receiving services.** It is the year 3023, and Earth has undergone severe climate change. We’re now faced with more extreme temperatures, a depleted aquifer, and a heavy reliance on imported water from Europa and nutritious food from Venus to sustain human life. We can account for many extremes through two-way biomedical engineering, such as reducing our need for oxygen and utilizing photosynthesis for food production. The Venus Aerial Farming Method (VARM) has been incredibly successful, as floating above the toxic clouds provides an environment for nutrient-rich foods to grow. The water harvesting on Europa hasn't been as easy. Not only has control of the precious resource led to the rise of water barons and space pirates, but the relentless harvesting is impacting the local wildlife. Only through relentless petitioning, protesting, and labor strikes has a settlement been reached--an agreement to set aside a large percentage of Europa as a wildlife preserve. We knew a century ago that our reliance on importation wouldn't be sustainable, so we began sending government contractors to Proxima Centauri b (Earth III)--4.2 lightyears away. While hyperspace travel is available, it is cumbersome and requires an incredible amount of resources. Currently, only government affiliates (employees, contractors, families) are allowed to utilize the hyperspace gate located on the Moon. The Moon has been a travel hub for centuries, as the lack of atmosphere and reduced gravity allow for ease of transportation. As we position humanity for our next home, the two most significant issues are 1) the amount of energy required to transport the billions of Earth's inhabitants through the hypergate and 2) how to effectively accommodate such a massive exodus. Questions arise, such as what happens to political borders, who will lead Earth III, and how do we proactively account for various socio-strife encroached in the historical underpinning of inhabiting Earth? For the necessary energy, we will dismantle the uninhabitable planet Mercury and use its resources to construct a Dyson Sphere. As for how to establish a new home that is welcoming and inclusive, governments are focusing on a culture center on Earth III.