For kids, summertime means water parks and baseball games. However, Texas State University’s Mathworks Summer Camp aims to bring a little educational fun to the summer months.

It can be surprising how excited students become about facing a challenge like algebra head on.

"At first it was a little hard figuring out what XY and all those letters meant, but I got the hang of it." camper Emma Berg said.

The students are taught by Texas State University faculty and mentored by undergraduate counselors.

They are also engaged in original research projects that involve some degree of advanced mathematics, which lets them learn to actively think on their own.

Max Warshauer is a math professor at Texas State. He also works as a mentor at the camp.

"They learn problem solving, they learn math, they learn algebra, they learn some geometry. It's a combination of all of those things, but really they learn to think carefully and deeply about problems while having fun doing it," he said.

Mathworks was created 20 years ago with the goal to help students explore math beyond just the basics.

News 8's parent company, Time Warner Cable, has developed its own program to get students excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Be sure to check out the Connect a Million Minds website for information about our efforts.