Photo Gallery: Summer Camps

Q. What do Alice, model airplanes and traveling salesmen have in common?
A. They are all learning tools used in Florida Tech’s academic summer camps.

Thanks to a scholarship grant from Rockwell Collins, many local youth and teens from Brevard County checked into Florida Tech summer camps this year and discovered that Alice is a software program, that building model airplanes is as much about physics as it is fun, and that Traveling Salesmen is a brain teaser.

“It was just awesome,” one camper remarked about Computer Camp Alpha. “I can’t wait to get started,” said another on his eagerness to arrive at day three of 3D Printer Camp.

“We wanted to make sure that youth in our local community had the opportunity offered by Florida Tech to actually do science, experiment with engineering or use technology in a new way, regardless of family financial need,” said Dan Clark, senior director CNS Engineering from Rockwell Collins. “These are the kinds of learning opportunities that excite young minds and get them interested in STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

As a leader in communication and aviation electronics, innovation and a passion for engineering and technology are important to Rockwell Collins. “That’s one reason we invest in the futures of students,” Clark said. “Capturing the interest of young people early helps to ensure a strong next generation of leaders who will develop future groundbreaking technologies needed in industries in our community, and around the world.”

Thanks to Rockwell Collins’ support, a number of campers were able to attend camp and experience a super-charged week of activity at Florida Tech. Designed to be fun, the summer programs also plugged into some serious learning. The Mathematics Camp rocked with MATLAB, a programming language used by engineers and technical companies; Flight Camp soared with campers taking off and landing during a 30-minute flight; Computer Camp Alpha aced their own animation stories while Computer Camp Beta beat all odds by using Java to juice up their week; Engineering Camp amped out on experiments; and, if you were one of the lucky teens who signed on for 3D Printer Camp, you carted away your very own self-built 3D printer.

—Sara Smith