Three students from Panther Valley Elementary School attended the National Youth Leadership Forum: Pathway to STEM at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The program took place July 24 to 29.

Abigail Benack, Eli Maynard and Maddison Maynard were nominated by their third-grade teacher to attend the forum, where they participated in hands-on activities that promote science, technology, engineering and math. The forum provides students an opportunity to explore potential college and career paths in engineering, medicine and forensic science. Simulation and role-playing exercises create an environment where team-building, problem-solving, goal-setting and presentation skills can be developed."They will scrub as doctors, build robots and investigate classic 'whodunit crimes,' " said Andrew Potter, chief academic officer for the program. "Each experience is designed to tap into a student's natural curiosity."During the week, the students created a bristle bot using battery power, analyzed blood drops and fingerprints at a crime scene scenario, programmed a Sphero robot, learned the functions of the cardiovascular system, and dissected a beef heart. On the final day of the program, the students prepared presentations for family and friends highlighting their discoveries of the week.Since 1985, Envision Programs have served more than 800,000 students in more than 145 countries. For more information, visit

www.envisionexperience.com/Pathways.