SMILE began as a partnership between Wake County Public Schools and North Carolina State University providing hands on experience for academically gifted students. SMILE spun out of NCSU in 2014 and now occupies 12,000 square feet of lab and classroom space dedicated to hands-on learning. SMILE Camp runs a number of educational programs suitable for elementary, middle school, high school, and beyond. Dedicated instructors strive to foster intellectual potential of young students through igniting passion through hands-on experiments and continual learning. The interactive classes give the participants an opportunity to explore the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. SMILE fosters both the intellectual and creative and builds community with other students that want to learn.