Wichita State College of Engineering summer camps will begin today (Monday, June 5).
More than 325 children in fourth through 12th grades are enrolled in 16 weekly camps
being held during June and July. Camps focus on robotics, coding, applied engineering
design, biomedical engineering, aerospace engineering and cybersecurity.
Though camps typically cost $200 to $350 a week, a record 100 campers number will
attend on scholarship, paying only $10 each. Scholarships are funded by private camp
sponsors, which this year include Textron Aviation, Boeing, Airbus and Booz Allen
Hamilton, and target children who might otherwise not get exposure to the field of
engineering.
"Our camps are essentially a tool to boost our recruitment of those who are under-represented
in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math," said Polly Basore Wenzl,
camp coordinator for the College of Engineering. "Scholarships are essential to helping
reach under-represented children, which include girls, African Americans, Hispanics,
Native Americans and children from all backgrounds who would be the first in their
families to attend college."
This year, 40 percent of scholarships will go to first-generation college students,
she said.
WSU College of Engineering began hosting summer camps more than 10 years ago, beginning
with what remains its most popular camp, LEGO Robotics. Originally focused on middle
schoolers, the camps now offer several options for high school students, as well.
"High school camps have proven an excellent recruitment tool; about half of those
who attend end up enrolling at WSU," Basore Wenzl says.
Camps are held throughout the summer at three locations -- Donald Beggs Hall and the
Experiential Engineering Building on the WSU main campus, and the National Center
for Aviation Training.
While many camps are full, openings remain for high school students.
