Getting kids interested in science and technology can be a challenge at times, especially during the summer, when school’s out and all they want to do is play.
A hands-on, interactive summer camp for young students in Minnesota makes learning fun.
Over 500 students, including 67 children of Seagate parents, participated in STARBASE Minnesota’s Next Generation Program this summer at the state’s National Guard base. The kids were immersed in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as they engineered a human mission to Mars and determined how to sustain life while there.
Seagate engineers offered their time and knowledge as part of our ongoing commitment to kids’ education. During one afternoon at the three-day camp, students interacted with real scientists and engineers from 16 participating corporations — including 10 Seagate volunteers, who demonstrated various marvels related to disk drives. The camp holds six sessions during the summer.
The program teaches students how to become expert rocket, rover, and colony engineers. Children designed rocket fins and nosecone prototypes that they tested on the last day of camp. They also investigated rocket design as they engineered a safe way for a rocket to travel through the dangerous temperatures of space and they observed and experimented with changing the mass of a rocket.
Watch Seagate’s volunteers in action at STARBASE camp:
“This is a fabulously run program,” said Cynthia Hipwell, executive director of recording head technology at Seagate’s Normandale facility. “My son would rush up to me each day to tell me about what had happened. It’s quite impressive to see that the kids really get to go through the full design, build, and test process that a real engineer does.”
Hipwell also was tapped to give the graduation speech for one of the camp sessions.
“Seeing the energy in the room, you know that for many this will be one of those key influential experiences piquing their interest in a STEM career,” she said. “It was great to be a part of it.”
