Programs in Greater Belleville Area

IMSA Innovation Hub – Metro East

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy has moved beyond the walls of its internationally recognized Aurora, IL, campus to expand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs and services across Southern Illinois. IMSA’s Belleville and Edwardsville offices offer STEM enrichment programs for area students and professional development programs for educators.

STEM Programs for Grades 1-8

Saturday STEM

Explore hands-on STEM activities in a variety of topics. Students of all ages participate in group activities where they learn teamwork and problem-solving skills while exploring engaging STEM content.

October 18, 2025:  Biomedical & Surgical Explorations   

       

10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sparta Community Hospital
Broadway Plaza Auxiliary Room A& B
203 S. Vine Street, Sparta, IL

Dive into the world of laparoscopic surgery with a realistic simulation box and endoscope setup. Rotate through multiple skill stations where you’ll practice using real surgical instruments, sharpen your hand-eye coordination, and build the fine motor skills surgeons use every day.

Experiment with innovative surgical tools, then showcase your abilities in the Surgical Skills Showdown—a fast-paced competition where precision and accuracy decide the winners.

The day ends with a tour of Sparta Community Hospital and insights into career pathways—capped by the rare chance to build skills that could shape your future in medicine.

Visit this site for registration details--pre-registration is required.  Space is limited!

November 15, 2025: Patterns in Art & Music

1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

BelleValley School, 2465 Amann Drive, Belleville

Registration opens Monday, October 13, 2025, at 12:00 p.m.

Fee:  $20 (includes snack)
Registration Deadline:  Nov. 10 (or until capacity is reached)
Scholarship Application deadline:  Nov. 3

Playful Patterns!  Gr. 1-2
Get ready to spot patterns everywhere! Students will play with shapes to build cool tessellations, design colorful Mondrian-style art, and even create their own musical beats with Chrome Music Lab. They’ll explore the magic of kaleidoscopes and take one home to keep the fun going. Through hands-on activities, kids will discover how math, art, and music all come alive through shapes, colors, and patterns!

Register Here

Apply for an IMSA scholarship

Pattern Party!  Gr. 3-4
Come and explore the world of patterns through math, art, and music! Students will identify, design, and create their own tessellation artworks, learning about symmetry and shapes. Then bring those tessellations to life using color, line, and repetition to create bold, beautiful patterned designs. Students will also design and build a simple instrument using everyday materials! Discover how musical patterns (like rhythm and beat) help bring songs to life. It’s going to be a pattern-packed, music-making, art-filled adventure!

Fun and Games with Math Grades 5-6

Forget boring drills—real math is full of patterns, puzzles, and surprises! We’ll play awesome games, crack colorful number patterns, and even test if games are fair using probability, all while uncovering the hidden beauty of math. If you’re curious, adventurous, and ready for a challenge, this is the program for you!

Register

Apply for an IMSA scholarship

December 2025: Fun & Games with Math

*Applying and qualifying for a scholarship does not guarantee an award or registration into the program. To qualify for a scholarship, the student’s family is required to submit proof of financial eligibility: if you qualify for SNAP or Free/Reduced lunch, you qualify, but we need you to submit proof of eligibility. If you do not have a form in your possession or have difficulty getting it from your school or IDHS, you may submit a screenshot showing eligibility. Please contact us at studentenrichment@imsa.edu if you have difficulty with this requirement. Alternatively, a 2023 or 2024  federal tax return showing proof of family income may be submitted.

  • Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis, so it is to your benefit to submit all supplemental forms as soon as possible.
  • WATCH YOUR EMAIL and CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER! Award recipients will be notified via email and must reply to the scholarship offers within the time period indicated in the email.
  • NOTE: You may choose to either pay for program registration OR apply for a scholarship and await award notification. Your scholarship application will not be considered if you also complete a paid registration.

No requests for a registration cancellation/refund will be accepted for all in-person Saturday STEM programming.

Fun and Games with “Real” Math –
Math club for students 11 years and older

FREE (although a Leu Civic Center membership is required)
Wednesdays, 3:00 – 4:30pm, October 22 – November 19
Leu Civic Center, 213 N. Market St., Mascoutah, IL  62258

Think math is just numbers and boring rules? What if math is not what you think it is? What if “real” math is not about memorizing facts and procedures that make no sense? What if the world of “real” math is a beautiful world of patterns and interesting numbers? Is that a world that you would like to visit? 
 
If so, join us for this fun-filled math club!   Let’s play a game and use probability to decide whether the game is fair. How about another game that uses color to crack the code of number patterns. If you’re curious, adventurous, and ready for a challenge, this is the camp for YOU!

Thank you for a great summer!

View all Summer@IMSA Programs

If you have questions regarding Summer@IMSA in the MetroEast, contact our team at studentenrichment@imsa.edu or 618.791.3855.

Contact

Dawn Waller, M.S.

Innovation Hub Manager
618.791.3855
dwaller@imsa.edu

2300 W. Main St.
Belleville, IL 62226