Interest in iEngineering summer camp surges

June 29th, 2011 by Ryan Windeyer | Tags: Camp, Summer Camp

MOLLY BARTELS / Courier & Press Brandon Witten, 14, plays around with extra wheels while taking a break from building a robot during the EVSC’s iEngineering 2.0 Summer Experience camp at the Career & Technical Cente on Wednesday.

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— Interest in the first iEngineering 2.0 Summer Experience camp at the Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center exceeded all expectations.

The two-week, half-day camp for students who just completed grades 7-8 drew about 80 applications for the 30 slots.

Campers “knew that there were a lot of kids who wanted to be here and couldn’t. So their motivation was very high, and that helps us (as instructors),” said Kevin Williams, a teacher at the center operated by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.

The camp drew students from public and private schools throughout the region, and the daily schedule was packed.

It included tours of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana and Guardian Automotive Trim/SRG Global, plus classroom work circuit building, an electromagnetic motor and computer-aided design software.

Teachers said the camp’s goal is to expose middle-school students who might be interested in engineering, architecture and advanced manufacturing to technologies related to those career fields.

Lauren Smith, who will be a freshman at Castle High School, said she isn’t sure yet what she plans to study after high school, “but this is definitely an option. I’m really enjoying it.”

The Toyota visit was a highlight of the camp experience. “It was fun because you got to actually watch them put the car together. Usually you just think of buying it and riding in it,” said Cole Labhart, who will be in eighth grade at Castle South Middle School this year.

Working in groups of three on Wednesday, students rushed to put together remote-operated vehicles in time for a competition today and Friday. They were programming the robots to pick up small foam balls and place them inside cylinders.

Lauren and Cole worked on their robot with Reitz High School student Tara Hahn, one of six high school and college students who served as camp counselors.

Career center teacher Andy Beadles said the middle-school camp is a good experience for the young counselors, as well.

“They are giving the campers the one-on-one attention they need,” Beadles said. “It lets them get into some teaching roles. When you learn how to teach something, you know you really understand it.”

Beadles said the camp was a success. “It’s been a busy two weeks.”

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