Marquette’s engineering courses for young students expand for the summer

Weeklong programs offer hands-on science and technology programs

MILWAUKEE – Marquette University’s College of Engineering is offering fun and challenging summer programs for students ages 6 through 18. Now in its fifth year, the College of Engineering outreach program promotes interest in science, technology, engineering and math through fun, hands-on problem-solving activities.
 
Seven new programs will be offered this summer, including three that were developed at the Museum of Science in Boston for the Engineering is Elementary project: A Sticky Situation: Designing Walls; Marvelous Machines: Making Work Easier; and A Work in Process: Improving a Play Dough Process. These programs are in addition to 10 others.

“We continue to expand and offer new programs to meet student and parental interest,” said Jack Samuelson, coordinator for engineering outreach. “From our always popular LEGO programs, to the new programs developed at Boston’s Museum of Science, these programs capture not only children’s imagination, but their natural interest in science and engineering.”

A registration form and complete list of programs are available on the Marquette University College of Engineering website. Fees range between $150 and $200. All programs have limits on class size, and applicants will be enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is available. A selection of the new programs offered this summer:

• A Sticky Situation: Designing Walls
Students entering grades 2-6
June 28-July 2, 9 a.m. – noon
Students will investigate various earth materials that could be used in mortar to build a stone wall. After the investigation, students will create a mortar mixture, taking advantage of the properties of these different materials. Students will then have the opportunity to plan, create, test and improve their walls.

• Marvelous Machines: Making Work Easier
Students entering grades 2-6
June 28-July 2, 1 – 4 p.m
Students will learn how factories use simple machines to make work easier and safer, including in a potato chip factory. The program culminates in a design challenge, with students combining simple machines to complete various tasks and building simple machines using LEGOs.

• A Work in Process: Improving a Play Dough Process
Students entering grades 2-6
July 5-9, 9 a.m. – noon
Students will explore the properties of solids and liquids and the outcomes when you mix the two. With this knowledge, students will be challenged to create an improved play dough recipe.

• Experimenting Using the LEGO Mindstorms NXT
Ages 14-18
July 19-23, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Students will build and program robots that use a variety of sensors to collect data in real-time. Examples of the sensors used include voltage, pressure, temperature, force and magnetic fields. Previous experience with the NXT is required.

• Robotics Seminar
Ages 14-18
July 26-30, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Students with previous robotics experience will learn how mini-sumobots, hexpods, humanoids, and track and wheel robots work and are programmed. They will learn how they are constructed and will test their skills with each robot by preparing and running a program they create. Enrollment is limited to 10 students.