High School Students Learn Hands-On Through UW Engineering Summer Program

Fourteen high school students came from across Wyoming and from as far away as Pennsylvania to the University of Wyoming campus June 7-13 to participate in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences’ Engineering Summer Program.

The core of the program consisted of courses taught by UW professors and graduate students in additive manufacturing; polymers and microfluids; mobile programming; energy; robotics with Raspberry Pi; and the aerodynamics of airplanes, drones and cars.

Students picked two of these courses for intensive, hands-on study throughout the week.

While the courses were modified to be accessible to high school students, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Lecturer Jim Ward, for example, found that his students were more than prepared for college-level instruction.

In Ward’s class, students programmed an interactive game, which they were able to demonstrate to parents during a showcase on the final day.

In the aerodynamics course, taught by Ramsankar Veerakumar, an assistant instructional professor in mechanical engineering, students designed and 3D-printed miniature airfoils, then tested them in the aerodynamics lab to compare the effects of different design choices.

“On the last day, I challenged them with a simplified version of a junior-level engineering project that I normally use in one of my undergraduate courses,” Veerakumar says. “The students were asked to write a MATLAB program to solve the problem. They used AI tools to help them, but they were able to complete the task in about 20 minutes. I think this activity showed them that engineering problems can be challenging but also approachable when they apply the tools available to them.”

In Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering Assistant Professor Tawfik Elshehabi’s energy course, students learned about the “three Es” underpinning his field: “engineering, which demonstrates how problems are solved; energy, which shows why those problems matter; and ethics, which emphasizes who engineers serve.”

Students in the course explored Wyoming’s subsurface energy and materials through guest lectures, a carbon storage demonstration, 3D-printed and engraved drill bits, visits to the 3D Visualization Center and the drilling fluids research lab, and hands-on activities with land and deepwater drilling simulators.

The hands-on, integrated approach he used in class paid dividends, Elshehabi says.

“The most rewarding part was watching students rethink energy and engineering during active discussions,” Elshehabi says. “You could see ideas click. Their eyes lit up. Their comments showed that the program did more than teach concepts. It changed perspectives.”

Elshehabi’s student assistant Joey Andrade, of Powell, was impressed by how “engaged and inquisitive” the students were, he says.

While the Engineering Summer Program focuses on learning and applying concepts from engineering, plenty of time was set aside for enjoying summer activities, as well.

Students played games on Prexy’s Pasture, enjoyed the great outdoors at Vedauwoo in the Medicine Bow National Forest, and took a tour of a trona mine in Green River, courtesy of Şişecam. Students also had the opportunity to visit with representatives from different offices on campus to learn about UW more broadly and to help them prepare for college applications.

The college wishes to thank the faculty, staff and students who made the program a success this year, including Engineering Summer Program Director Shawn Griffiths; Administrative Associate Annette Camp; faculty members Ian Hammontree and Paige Brimley from the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering; Steve Barrett, Suresh Muknahallipatna and Ward from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Levi Kirby and Veerakumar from the Department of Mechanical Engineering; and Elshehabi from the Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering.

The college also would like to thank the many graduate students who made the program enriching and memorable.

This year’s participants, listed by hometown, are as follows:

Cheyenne -- Henry McGuire and Logan Neville.

Cody -- Trudi Underwood.

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Henry Beavers.

Lander -- Morgan Blake and Able Van Dijk.

Laramie -- Lorna Cook, Maame Yaa Kwakye-Nuako and Elizabeth Oakey.

Lingle -- Rogan Fisher.

Rawlins -- Liasandra Bauer.

Rock Springs -- Brandon Swigart.

Sheridan -- Lukas Schreiber.

West Chester, Pa. -- Max Teran.