Photo by John Cross
Students who attend the Reaching for the Stars Aerospace Camp will get a chance to work on this wind tunnel at MSU. The camp is open to high school students entering their junior year. Shown here are MSU faculty members, and camp instructors, Nihad Daidzic (left) and Vojin Nikolic.
A summer science camp for high schoolers debuts next month at Minnesota State University. But organizers say they're not necessarily looking for science geeks to fill it.
It's called Reaching for the Stars, and it's an aerospace engineering summer camp where students entering their junior year in high school spend two weeks learning about engineering, building a model airplane and a model rocket, spending time at the airport testing their designs and going for airplane rides.
Twenty-four students will be admitted. And instructors Vojin Nikolic and Nihad Daidzic say that when they go through the applications, they won't necessarily be looking for students with a proven interest in science.
Instead they're looking for students who are bright but who have maybe never considered the sciences or engineering as career options.
The goal, they say, is to push sciences to new minds.
"It will be very hands on," says Nikolic. "They will use (science). And when they leave, they'll be able to say, ‘I can do this.'"
Added Daidzic, "It's also motivating people who are undecided."
Reaching for the Stars, organizers say, will "introduce the principles of atmospheric (aircraft) and space (rocket) flight, as well as some general engineering areas, in a systematic, fun way."
Students will spend four hours each day at camp, which runs June 11-22. During the first week, they'll build an airplane, with the week culminating in a day at the airport. During the second week, they'll build a rocket, and again they'll end that portion of the work with a day at the airport. The final day will be spent watching aerospace-themed movies and participating in a end-of-camp ceremony.
Underwriting the camp is the Minnesota Center for Excellence in Manufacturing and Engineering, housed at MSU.
It has provided about $15,000 in funding, which will ensure that all admitted to the camp will not have to pay for it.
"We believe this is an unbelievable investment in the future," said Judy Evans, spokeswoman for the center. "And the credit goes to (Nikolic and Daidzic)."
The camp is open to students who will be entering their junior year in high school. The instructors said they chose this age because it's late enough to be open to new areas of study, yet early enough for any student who got inspired to enroll in more math and science courses during their final two years in high school.
If many students apply, they'll try to evenly distribute the 24 camp slots to Mankato East, West, Loyola and possibly other schools.
For more information or to apply online, visit ed.mnsu.edu/aviation/reachstar/
For more Free Press news go to www.mankatofreepress.com.
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