Engineering a Bright Future at Marquette this Summer Released: June 9, 2006 Marquette University’s College of Engineering will help develop future leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at the 2006 Summer Academy. The Summer Academy will uniquely engage grade school through high school students as well as educators and parents by showing participants how creative thinking combined with the sciences, technology, engineering and math skills leads to true innovation.      “This is another alternative to the traditional summer camp,” said Dr. Jon Jensen, associate dean in the College of Engineering.  “By using hands-on experiences, we are getting young kids and adults interested in engineering with concepts that are easy to understand. Believe it or not, many of the kids are finding out that engineering can be fun! Hopefully this will encourage increased participation in science, technology, engineering and math courses and fields of work.” According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, in the past two decades, the United States has seen a decline in properly trained engineers for the positions available.  Employers are seeking candidates with bachelor of science degrees, rather than people who would otherwise qualify with experience.  The programs offered at Marquette this summer are designed to encourage young people to pursue STEM courses of study throughout their education, and to provide adults and educators with new ways to make these courses exciting. These programs will be offered on campus this summer for participants of different ages: Engineering for Young Minds for ages 6-9 (June 12-16, 9 a.m. 12 noon) Students as young as six years old will learn basic engineering principles as they create balloon-powered rocket cars, egg crash-test dummies, electric circuits, simple robots and bridges built with pasta. Robotics Engineering for ages 9-12 (June 26-30, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) Students will learn the fundamentals of designing, building and programming LEGO Mindstorms robots. Their robots will be presented at the end of the week. Robotics Engineering for ages 9-12 and 13-17 (July 10-14, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) Students will learn the fundamentals of designing, building and programming LEGO Mindstorms robots.  Participants in the 13-17 year old group will also work with the new VEX educational robots.  Their robots will be presented at the end of the week. Robotics for Teachers/ Adults (June 26-29, 8 a.m. to 12 noon) In this hands-on workshop participants will learn the fundamentals of designing, building, and programming LEGO Mindstorms and VEX robots.  This course is designed to assist those interested in bringing robotics to their home, classroom, or advise a robotics club, FIRST Lego League team or FIRST VEX Challenge team. Engineering is for Everyone (August 19 and 26, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Participants will spend two Saturdays learning engineering principles as they perform hands-on problem solving activities. They will perform exercises in the following fields: biomedical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Each person will receive an electric circuit’s kit to continue their experimentation at home with family and friends. Engineering for Young Women (August 14 and 15, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) In this course, young women ages 14-17 will work together to experience the fun, challenge, and excitement of engineering. Engineering will be presented as a positive force in improving the quality of life for all. The participants will be encouraged to pursue advanced coursework in science and math as well as consider careers in engineering. Women are largely underrepresented in engineering. For registration information, contact Lori Stempski in the College of Engineering at (414) 288-6720. FOR MEDIA: There will be good photo opportunities during all sessions of the Summer Academy.  Please contact Anne Broeker in the Office of Marketing and Communication for dates and times at (414) 288-0286. Office of Marketing and Communication Contacts Anne Broeker Senior Media Relations Specialist Phone: (414) 288-0286 Send e-mail