Seventy aspiring young engineers are getting hands-on experience during a summer STEM camp at Syracuse University this week. The camp, organized by the Technology Alliance of Central New York, aims to show students the fascinating science of flight, with a focus on the principles relevant to different engineering fields.
Guided by Kasey Laurent, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering, the camp provides middle school students with experiences aimed to ignite their interest in STEM careers.
“My research specifically looks at bio-inspired flight; I’m learning how birds fly,” Laurent explained. Her section not only covers the fundamentals of flight like gravity, lift, drag, and thrust but also highlights the broader impacts of aerodynamics.
The students engage in experiments in two wind tunnels, a water tunnel, and even virtual reality simulations focused on supersonic flight. Laurent emphasized the importance of experimental learning, stating, “It just really encourages them to follow or pursue a STEM career because they realize how fun it is.”
Among the eager campers is ten-year-old Ali Bharmal, who is especially interested in the connection between his passion for paleontology and certain dinosaur’s ability to fly, specifically the Archaeopteryx, a bird-like dinosaur that shares a similar way of flying with modern birds and planes. Bharmal was able to see how it all connects by constructing and experimenting with the wings of a paper airplane.
The Syracuse STEM camp is in its fourth year and has been growing in popularity with 70 participants this year.