College Prepares to Welcome Guests During Summer Camps

Summer camp season is again upon the Tickle College of Engineering, with several different groups coming to campus in the next few weeks expected to bring in hundreds of students.

Materials Camp

Students participating in the Materials Camp work on a project in a Ferris Hall lab.

Hosted by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering June 10–14.

The week-long camp will give students a chance to explore the world of materials science through the use of tools such as scanning electron microscopes and data analysis equipment.

This year’s theme builds on a scenario that participants find themselves accidentally locked in an abandoned facility and must use their knowledge of materials to figure a way to escape.

Portions of the camp will take part at Pellissippi State and the Y-12 National Security Complex, which both serve as co-sponsors, along with UT.


Adventures in STEM

Students participating in CURENT’s Adventures in STEM summer camp work on a project.

Hosted by CURENT, the Center for Ultra-wide-area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks June 24–28.

Middle school-age girls will spend a week working with CURENT and the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, NIMBIOS, both of which are multi-institution research centers headquartered at UT.

Participants will have the chance to explore research related to energy, biology, and mathematics.

In addition to working with the two centers and experiencing hands-on learning opportunities, students will also be given a tour of various laboratory spaces at UT and will conclude the week by making poster presentations about what they have learned.


HITES12 and eVOL10

Students use lab equipment during the 2018 High School Introduction to Engineering Systems for Twelfth Graders (HITES 12) camp.
Students use lab equipment during the 2018 High School Introduction to Engineering Systems for Twelfth Graders (HITES 12) camp. The annual, week-long camp gives rising high school seniors an in-depth look at engineering and science.

Hosted by the Office of Engineering Diversity Programs the weeks of July 7–12 and July 14–19, respectively.

Two of the college’s most popular events are returning, with the High School Introduction to Engineering Systems for Twelfth Graders (HITES12) and Engineering VOLunteers for Tenth Graders (eVOL10).

In HITES12, 32 students from as far away as Illinois and Louisiana will spend a week living on campus, experiencing a taste of college life while also learning some of the fundamentals of engineering and science.

They will also have a chance to tour a working industrial facility to see what they’ve learned in the classroom being put into practical use.

Students will take what they learn during various sessions and apply it to an overarching project that they will present on their final day.

HITES12 project options include:

  • Modeling the physics of immune cells
  • Remote detection of radiation using drones and robots
  • Printed smart gas sensors (e-nose) using nanomaterials and pattern recognition
  • Microelectronic Sensing Systems

For eVOL10, 40 students from as far away as California will spend a week living on campus getting an introduction to chemistry and engineering, while also getting a more rudimentary educational experience, such as ACT test preparation.

Like HITES12 campers, students will have opportunities for tours and to take what they learn in daily sessions and apply it to a final project.

The camp will draw upon faculty and researchers in computer science, electrical and electronic engineering, industrial and systems engineering, human engineering, civil and environmental engineering, engineering mechanics, and materials science.

For the first time, eVOL10 will also feature an “engineering in action” component, allowing students to visit labs at UT and observe current Tickle College of Engineering students conducting research.