SIUE Engineering Summer Camp Concludes with Record Participation
High school students from across the region and as far away as California concluded the second of two sessions Friday, June 20, at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s 2014 Engineering Summer Camp. The SIUE School of Engineering’s popular residential camp brought 71 high school students to campus during two week-long sessions. Approximately 35 students participated in each of the programs.
The Engineering Summer Camp’s June 7-13 and June 16-20 sessions both included a week of exploration in the various engineering disciplines offered at SIUE, as well as computer science and construction management. Summer camp participants engaged in hands-on laboratory experiences, design contests, field trips and learned from guest speakers about opportunities in engineering.
As part of the residential experience, students lived with a roommate in University residence halls, dined in the Morris University Center and engaged in campus activities such as bowling, swimming, rock wall climbing, volleyball, basketball and playing arcade games.
“Our summer campers bring incredible creativity and enthusiasm to our hands-on engineering challenges,” said Chris Gordon, associate dean for the School of Engineering. “It’s highly rewarding for our instructors to work with such talented future engineers as they see engineering in action and discover the tremendous opportunities ahead of them.”
The camp draws regional and national attendance. In the past three years, the camp has attracted applications from 10 states beyond Illinois. In addition to neighboring states, the camps have also attracted applications from as far as California, Oklahoma, Nevada, Alaska, Florida and Idaho.
The camp also helps to attract highly prepared students to the School of Engineering. This fall, six former camp participants will begin their studies in the School of Engineering, including two who are Provost Scholars. These students have an average ACT composite score of 29.8 and average high school GPA of 3.83.
For more information about the program, visit siue.edu/engineering.
Photo: Carrie Conton prepares to launch her rocket at SIUE’s 2014 Engineering Summer Camp.
