Engineering & Robotics

Summer Camps 2013

• Half-Day Camps, ages 6-7 (must have completed kindergarten)
• Half-Day Camps, ages 10-13 (must have completed 4th grade)
• Full-Day Camps, ages 8-10 (must have completed 2nd grade)
• Full-Day Camps, ages 11-14 (must have completed 5th grade)
• Full-Day Camps, ages 13-16 (must have completed 7th grade)

Half-Day Camps, ages 6-7 (8:30 a.m. - Noon)

Gadget Gang | June 17 - 21; July 8 - 12

What do you get when you combine engineering with a little kid's imagination and curiosity? Gadgets, doohickeys and thingamabobs, of course.  Spend a fun-filled week designing, building, testing and playing with toys.

Construction Critters | June 24 - 28; July 22 - 26

Did you know that beavers, bees and birds are some of nature's most talented engineers? Or that some critters can actually engineer entire ecosystems? Join us for a week of engineering excitement learning how curious critters build some of nature's most remarkable structures, like spider webs and termite mounds.  Discover material science. Have fun building while developing your engineering skills.

Engineering is for the Birds | July 15 - 19

Put your birdbrain to work investigating how birds have inspired engineers to build flying machines.  Design and test flying-contraptions of your own.  Discover other animals that fly, even some that don't have wings!  Explore aerospace engineering.

Half-Day Camps, ages 10-13 (8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.) 2-week sessions, M-F

Lego MINDSTORMS Robotics | July 15 - 26; July 29 - 9

Explore the world of robotics using Lego Mindstorms. You and a partner will work with computer scientists and engineers to build your robot. Then you will learn computer programming skills that will allow you to control it. On Friday you and your partner will demo your robot in the camp showcase.

Full-Day Camps, ages 8-10 (8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

Kid E Corps of Engineers | June 17 - 21; July 15 - 19

Join the Kid E Corps and develop your engineering skills as you design and build devices that will help you storm the castle, rocket to the moon, float in the deep sea and much more.  Learn about the Army Corps of Engineers and maybe even meet one.

Sprockets | June 24 - 28; July 22 - 26

What do you get when you combine a giant spring, a rock, and a space ship? A sprocket, of course!  Put your engineering skills to the test as you imagine, design and create your own contraptions. This camp is sure to bring out the inventor in you.

Creature Tech: Biomimicry | July 8 - 12

Did you know that squid movement was the inspiration for jet propulsion? Or that bat echolocation was the inspiration for sonar?  Discover how engineers imitate nature’s best ideas to create new technological solutions for human problems. Join us for a week of inspirational engineering as we explore the science of biomimicry. You can learn a lot from Mother Nature!

Full-Day Camps, ages 11-14 (8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

Engineering Explorations | June 17 - 21

Survey the fields of engineering while exploring what makes each one unique.  Discover how different disciplines of engineering overlap and work together. Develop your own engineering skills while participating in activities related to each field. Learn about the Grand Challenges for Engineering and join a multi-discipline team to tackle a design challenge of your own.

Engineering History | June 24 - 28

Explore some of man’s greatest engineering feats from ancient to modern times. Discover who built the first bridges, dams and highways. Learn how Egyptian pyramids, Roman arches, and Chinese walls were engineered. See if you can figure out how ancient man moved the giant stones to Stonehenge. Investigate some of the greatest engineers of all time including Leonardo DaVinci. Build and compare catapults from different periods in history.

Engineering Energy | July 8 - 12

Power up with the E-team as they explore alternative energy sources found along our coast. Discover how engineers harness energy from the sun, wind and ocean.  Engineer a solar powered boat. Design your own devices to capture the energy of waves and tides and convert it to electricity. Investigate efforts to produce biodiesel from tiny phytoplankton. Learn about coastal North Carolina wind farm initiatives.

L.A.F.F.E. | July 8 - 12

LAFFE out loud with your fellow female engineers as you spend a fun-filled week learning about the contributions women are making to the field of engineering. Investigate the differences between so-called boy and girl toys. Work in teams to create an engineering game with real girl power. Discover some of the environmental and social concerns that female engineers are addressing. Design body armor for female soldiers that actually fits. Take part in an engineering service learning project. At the Leadership Academy For Female Engineers engineering is serious fun!

Aerospace Engineering | July 15 - 19

Since ancient times man has sought to take to the skies. Now you can spend a week building flying machines and learning the basic principles of flight. Study organisms that “fly”. Design and test your own ornithopters, paper birds, gliders, and rockets then compete to see whose flies the highest or farthest.  Investigate the elements of flight. Build a mini-wind tunnel and test your models. Take a day trip to “fly” in a vertical wind tunnel.

Mechanical Engineering | July 22 - 26

Gear up for a powerful week of engineering fun. Learn how mechanical engineers utilize the principles of force, energy and motion to design, build and operate machines with moving parts. Design and test mousetrap cars, roller coasters, brushbots, gyroscopes, simple engines and more. Visit a giant floating machine, the Battleship North Carolina. Discover the impact of heat and friction. Work in teams to engineer a Rube Goldberg machine. 

Civil Engineering | July 29 - August 2

Put your engineering talents to the test (and prep for Science Olympiad) as you design and construct public works such as bridges, towers, tunnels, and dams. Discover why civil engineers need to understand the geology and hydrology of the environment before they can build on it. Investigate how high an engineer can build and what they need to know about wind. Learn how engineers plan for earthquakes and hurricanes. Find out what they are doing to protect our water resources and coastlines. Explore the green building industry.

Full-Day Camps, ages 13-16 (8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

VEX Competition Robotics | June 24 - 28

Explore the world of robots and computer programming with the VEX robotic design system. Work with computer scientists and engineers to design and build your robot. Then learn computer programming skills that will allow you to control your robot. On the final day of camp, compete against other robots in an all out robot tournament competition.

Get your mind in gear with Engineering Expectations!