ABS senior Elijah Goins wins an academic honor.

Rising Athens Bible School senior Elijah Goins won a spot at Auburn University’s Paper and Bioresource Engineering Camp. Goins, a STEM standout at his school, joins 15 other seniors selected to participate in the exclusive program built around the growing industry of sustainable bioproducts research and development.

“I was so glad when I learned I had been invited to the camp,” Goins said. “I’m excited to see how my participation will affect my career choices. The camp will be an opportunity for me to see what engineering field I might be interested in.”

As an outreach of the Alabama Center for Paper & Bioresource Engineering, the camp focuses on science and engineering relevant to the power of paper for everyday life. Students are chosen for the program based on their academic standing, STEM interests, character references, and an essay describing their future collegiate pursuits. During their stay on the Auburn University campus, students participate in hands-on experiments with pulp and paper faculty, learn about careers in the industry, and tour the International Paper Mill where they meet industry leaders.

The camp attracts students interested in pursuing a chemical, mechanical, electrical, or biosystems engineering degree. Students learn more about the Pulp, Paper, & Bioresource specialization at Auburn University and Auburn Pulp & Paper scholarships.

Goins’s experience designing and building robots with his school robotics team, along with his academic aptitude, no doubt got him noticed by the selection committee. But, it’s his character that stands out, according to his robotics coach Scott Brittnell.

“I’m excited for Elijah. He is a hard worker, skilled and smart, but, mostly, he is a good guy and represents our school and our program well,” Brittnell said. “Elijah is a leader on the team, looked up to by other students, and appreciated by all the ABS robotics coaches.”

The ABS robotics team fosters interest in science, technology, engineering, business, and marketing by participating in BEST Robotics Competition. It is an after-school program open to 6th-12th grade students. The ABS program began in 2006 with six students and ended last season with 28 students and multiple top awards. Students compete in robot design, robot performance, technical documentation, presentation, and marketing booth design. Visit www.athensbibleschool.org to learn more about the school and the robotics activities.