Explore Engineering students build Theremins, electronic musical instruments.
(Photo: Submitted)
For the third year in a row, the College of Engineering hosted students from
grades six through 12 in three different week-long summer programs. In these
camps, students learned about science, engineering, technology and math from
University of Arkansas professors, faculty, and students.
High school students got hands-on experience with an engineering discipline
of their choice in the Engineering Summer Academy during the week of July 8-14.
Middle and junior high school students got exposure to different STEM topics in
Explore Engineering I and II, which took place June 23-27. During the first
week of August, female students from Northwest Arkansas took part in
Engineering Girl Camp.
Participants in the Engineering Summer Academy chose one field of
engineering to focus on, and they spent a week living on campus and working on
engineering projects. Students in the computer science and computer engineering
camp focused on writing programs and designing hardware. They learned about the
circuits that run digital devices and the software that makes it “smart.”
Students who chose to study chemical engineering used reverse osmosis to
make salt water drinkable, learned how to make biofuels from algae and
investigated methods for clearing clogged arteries and time-releasing drugs in
the body.
In the Razorback Solar Boat Program, students interested in electrical and
mechanical engineering designed and built remote controlled solar-powered
boats. This program mirrors the Solar Splash, the international intercollegiate
solar boat competition. At the end of the week, the students raced their boats
in the HPER building on campus.
The purpose of Explore Engineering I is to spark interest in science,
technology, engineering and math. In this program, rising 6th and 7th graders
programmed robots using the Lego Mindstorm system, developed water purification
systems, learned about logistics, used lemons and potatoes as batteries and
built an electronic instrument called a Theremin.
Explore Engineering II is designed to give rising 8th and 9th graders a more
in-depth experience with engineering topics. In this camp, students did many of
the same projects, but they also took part in more complex activities, such as computer
application development.
At Engineering Girl Camp, 40 junior high students learned more about
engineering through field trips and hands-on activities led by College of
Engineering graduate student Christina Smith. The girls visited the McKee Foods
plant, designed small windmills, made liquid nitrogen ice cream, and built
speakers out of styrofoam cups.
Eric Specking, associate director of recruitment for the College of
Engineering, explained that the camps are a great way to engage students who
are interested in engineering. This year, 182 students were selected to attend the
summer programs, from more than 300
applicants. Specking pointed out that 89
percent of the high school seniors who attended the Engineering Summer Academy in
2010 applied to the University of Arkansas, and he has seen evidence that many
students decide to attend the university based on their experience in these
summer camps.
Scholarships for Explore Engineering I and II are provided by the College of
Engineering. Scholarships for Engineering Summer Academy were provided by the
Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, the Arkansas Department of Career
Education, the Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers, and the Ray C. Adam
Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering. The Arkansas Department of Career Education
provided scholarships for Girl Camp, which is also supported by Project Lead
the Way.
Specking explained that the summer camps are a joint effort among the
recruitment office and all the departments at the College of Engineering.
“We’re very appreciative of all the departments,” he said, “It’s important to
have a range of topics to capture students’ interest, and the students had
great things to say about all the different activities.”