Staff photo / R. Michael Semple YSU STEM camper Charlotte Margiotta, 10, of New Middletown, gathers leaves and grasses for a compost pile while attending STEM Camp at the Williamson Innovation Park in Canfield Township.

CANFIELD TOWNSHIP — One day, Alyx Suszczynki hopes to do her part to improve the environment, but for now, she’s happy with the opportunity she had to allow her knowledge to branch out a bit.

“I’m learning how to identify trees, how to recycle,” Alyx, an eighth-grader who’s being home-schooled, said Friday. “I learned how trees do so much for us.”

Those were among the items on Alyx’s menu of knowledge, thanks to her participation in a five-day Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics summer camp at the Williamson Innovation Park, 8399 Tippecanoe Road.

The experience for nine students in grades five through eight, which had an environmental theme, allowed them to take part in hands-on activities to enhance their knowledge of, and appreciation for, environmental concepts, Melody Castner of Hubbard, an event coordinator, noted.

It may be several years away, but Alyx already has a solid idea of her career choice. She hopes to be an environmental scientist and / or a certified rehabilitation expert who treats injured animals, then releases them into the wild, she said.

A similar trajectory appears to be in Charlotte Margiotta’s future, because she envisions studying birds and perhaps being licensed to work at a sanctuary to nurse injured birds back to health.

“I’ve learned about recycling and what can harm our environment, and what we can do to help,” Charlotte, a Springfield Intermediate School fifth-grader, said, adding, “When I get home, I’ll know how to study trees.”

For now, Charlotte has an everyday means to further enhance her love of birds because she regularly takes care of several chickens and ducks at her grandparents’ home, she added.

Both girls also expressed concerns about climate change, saying they worry about the effects it may have on the environment.

Since the summer camp began Monday, the nine students have gathered a potpourri of facts about the environment, and have taken part in related hands-on activities, said Castner, who will begin a new career this fall at the Lowellville K-12 School teaching biology and environmental science.

On Friday, the students gathered sticks, hay, leaves and nuts from a nearby field and used the items for composting purposes. They also were taught the importance of recycling and repurposing many items in lieu of merely throwing them away.

Also last week, they examined microorganisms from a pond on the Williamson Innovation Park property, which also served as a yardstick for measuring the water’s quality and cleanliness, Castner said. Along those lines, they also were able to differentiate between native and invasive species of plants and insects, she added.

While at the pond, Alyx and the others were introduced to insects such as parasitic worms, mayfly larvae and earwigs, which are mostly nocturnal and commonly can be found in tight and moist crevices during the day.

In addition, the young people built small solar ovens, Castner said.

Also, the students met several environmental experts who visited the camp throughout the week, Michelle Channing, who works in Youngstown State University’s College of STEM’s pro-services department, said.

Those they met included Felicia Armstrong, who is with YSU’s environmental program; Julie Bartolone, a naturalist who worked for Mill Creek MetroParks; Zach Felger of the Mahoning Soil & Water Conservation District, who discussed macroinvertebrates; Nicholas DeMart of the Mahoning County Green Team; and a group from The Ohio State University Extension office, Channing noted.

The next gathering at the YSU-owned Williamson Innovation Park is to begin July 28 and will be an aviation camp for students in grades five to eight.

After that, a wireless communication camp will get underway the week of Aug. 4. Eight students in grades six to nine are expected to attend, Channing said.