Engineering

Tackle Engineering Challenges of the 21st Century

Are you considering a career in engineering? Are you fascinated by complex math and science problems? Do you enjoy discovering how something works and then making improvements? At the NSLC on Engineering, you’ll explore a variety of engineering field including mechanical, civil, electrical, and biomedical engineering. Professors and Professional Engineers will tell you about exciting new research endeavors and their latest projects. Then, engineering simulations give you the opportunity to design and build with your teammates.

Engineering
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Interactive Career Simulations

At the NSLC on Engineering, you will experience some of the most exciting work that is challenging professional engineers today. During the program, you will design, build, and operate an underwater ROV. Then, you and your team will work together to find the most economical way to build a wind turbine that produces electricity. Each day offers hands-on activities and intriguing problems to solve.

Meet Engineering Professionals

While at the NSLC, you will meet with and learn from leaders in the many engineering disciplines. In past years, those in our summer engineering programs for high school students have heard from special guest speakers including the Dean of the University of Maryland School of Engineering and the Director of the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board at the National Academies.

  • Mr. George Levin, Director of the Aeronautics & Space Engineering Board, The National Academies
  • Mr. George Banker, Operations Manager, ARMY Ten-Miler
  • Mr. Edgar A. Domenech, Deputy Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
  • Mr. Bill Nott, Lockheed Martin

College-Level Curriculum

At the NSLC, you will enjoy college-level lectures on a variety of engineering disciplines. The lecture series will give you a foundation of knowledge that is vital for your success as an undergraduate student. You will also hear about the wide variety of career opportunities within the engineering fields.

Topics include:
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer Science

Leadership Workshops

At the heart of the NSLC is a leadership curriculum designed to build concrete leadership skills that will help you succeed. From the beginning of your youth engineering program you will learn to work as a team during an exciting Ropes Challenge Course. Interactive lectures and small-group workshops will give you an opportunity to build upon your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

Leadership topics tailored to the summer youth Engineering program include:
  • Personality Styles and Group Dynamics
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Negotiation and Effective Presentations

Trips & Tours

An important part of the NSLC youth engineering program is seeing the sites around some of our nation’s greatest cities. These trips are designed as both sightseeing tours and exclusive educational trips specifically tailored to the area of Engineering:

Washington, D.C.
  • The National Institute of Science and Technology
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • The Smithsonian Institution
  • National Air & Space Museum
  • Baltimore Harbor
  • Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division
San Francisco, CA
  • The NASA Ames Research Center
  • Intel Museum
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
  • Fisherman’s Wharf
  • Exploratorium
Chicago, IL
  • Museum of Science & Industry
  • Fermi National Accelerator Lab
  • Chicago Materials Research Center
  • Willis Tower
  • Navy Pier
  • Magnificent Mile
  • Six Flags
Atlanta, GA
  • Georgia Tech Engineering Laboratories
  • Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience at Georgia Tech
  • Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center at Georgia Tech
  • Corporate Site Visit
  • World of Coca-Cola
  • Georgia Aquarium
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change

Sample Schedules

Washington, D.C. Sessions
San Francisco Sessions
Chicago, IL Sessions
Atlanta, GA Sessions

Washington, D.C. Sessions

Day 1
  • Registration
  • Campus Tours
  • Opening Ceremony
  • Reception
  • TA Group Orientation
Day 2
  • AU Credit Option
  • Ropes Challenge Course
  • Leadership Series: Group Dynamics & Personality Matrix
  • Lecture: Chemical & Biological Engineering
  • Pizza Night
Day 3
  • Visit University Laboratories
  • Lecture: Aerospace Engineering
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Guest Speaker
  • TA Group Meeting
  • Social
Day 4
  • Goddard Space Center
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Environmental Engineering
  • Washington at Night Tour
    • Jefferson Memorial
    • FDR Memorial
    • Lincoln Memorial
    • Vietnam War and Korean War Memorials
    • Iwo Jima Memorial
Day 5
  • Visit University Laboratories & Guest Presentation
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Leadership Series: Communication
  • AU Credit Option
  • Cake Social
Day 6
  • Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian Institution
    • Congressional Visits
    • Library of Congress
    • Air and Space Museum
    • National Gallery of Art
    • American History Museum
    • And many more
  • Dinner at Historic Union Station
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • College Life Panel
Day 7
  • Maryland Science Center
  • Leadership Series: Project Management
  • Guest Speaker
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Civil Engineering
  • Social
Day 8
  • Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Computer Engineering
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Guest Speaker
  • Baltimore Harbor
Day 9
  • AU Credit Option
  • Leadership Series: Making Presentations
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Dance
Day 10
  • Final Presentations
  • Closing Ceremony
  • Final TA Meeting
Note: While not every session is scheduled the same, this is an example of an Engineering session.

San Francisco Sessions

Day 1
  • Registration
  • Barbeque Lunch
  • Campus Tours
  • AU Credit Option
  • Opening Ceremony
  • TA Group Orientation
Day 2
  • Ropes Course
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers – Intro to Robotics
  • Leadership Series: Writing a Vision Statement
  • Lecture: Mechanical Engineering
  • Social
Day 3
  • Facility Visit: NASA Ames Research Center
  • Leadership Series: Personality Matrix
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Engineering Project: Exploring Wind Energy and Wind Turbines
Day 4
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Structural & Civil Engineering
  • Field Trip: Pier 39 & Exploratorium
  • Lecture: Exploring Engineering Careers
  • Leadership Activity: Dyadic Encounter
Day 5
  • AU Credit Option
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Leadership Series: Communication, Dialogue, and Discussion
  • Lecture: Computer Science & Engineering in Social Media
  • Engineering Project: Water Filtration Systems
  • Social
Day 6
  • AU Credit Option
  • Engineering Project: Air Gliders
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Facility Visit: Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Leadership Series: Psychology of Group Dynamics
  • Trivia Night
Day 7
  • Leadership Series: Civil Engineering & Architecture
  • Facility Visit: Intel
  • Field Trip: San Pedro Square
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Corps of Engineers: Initial Robot Testing
Day 8
  • AU Credit Option
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Leadership Series: Leaders in the Field
  • Field Trip: Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman’s Wharf
  • Corps of Engineers: Final Robot Testing
Day 9
  • Lecture Series: Environmental Engineering
  • Final Presentations
  • Leadership Series: What I’ve Discovered Is
  • Final TA Meeting
  • Social
Day 10
  • Closing Ceremony
  • Departure
Note: While not every session is scheduled the same, this is an example of an Engineering session.

Chicago, IL Sessions

Day 1
  • Registration
  • Campus Tours
  • Opening Ceremony
  • Reception
  • TA Group Orientation
Day 2
  • AU Credit Option
  • Ropes Challenge Course
  • Leadership Series: Group Dynamics & Personality Matrix
  • Lecture: Chemical & Biological Engineering
  • Pizza Night
Day 3
  • Lab Visit: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
  • Lecture: Aerospace Engineering
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Guest Speaker
  • TA Group Meeting
  • Social
Day 4
  • Museum of Science and Industry
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Environmental Engineering
  • Navy Pier
Day 5
  • Visit University Laboratories & Guest Presentation
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Leadership Series: Communication
  • AU Credit Option
  • Mission Impossible
Day 6
  • Chicago Materials Research Center
  • TA Group Activity: Exploring Wind Energy – Wind Turbine
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • College Life Panel
Day 7
  • Magnificent Mile
  • Leadership Series: Project Management
  • Guest Speaker
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Civil Engineering
  • Social
Day 8
  • Argonne National Laboratory
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Computer Engineering
  • Guest Speaker
  • Willis Tower at Night
Day 9
  • AU Credit Option
  • Leadership Series: Making Presentations
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers – Robotic Challenge
  • Dance
Day 10
  • Final Presentations
  • Closing Ceremony
  • Final TA Meeting
Note: While not every session is scheduled the same, this is an example of an Engineering session.

Atlanta, GA Sessions

Day 1
  • Registration
  • Campus Tours
  • Opening Ceremony
  • Reception
  • TA Group Orientation
Day 2
  • AU Credit Option
  • Ropes Challenge Course
  • Leadership Series: Group Dynamics & Personality Matrix
  • Lecture: Chemical & Biological Engineering
  • Pizza Night
Day 3
  • Lab Visit: Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Lecture: Aerospace Engineering
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Guest Speaker
  • TA Group Meeting
  • Social
Day 4
  • Georgia Aquarium
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Environmental Engineering
  • Centennial Olympic Park
Day 5
  • Visit University Laboratories & Guest Presentation
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Leadership Series: Communication
  • AU Credit Option
  • Mission Impossible
Day 6
  • Lab Visit: Georgia Institute of Technology
  • TA Group Activity: Exploring Wind Energy – Wind Turbine
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • College Life Panel
Day 7
  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site
  • Leadership Series: Project Management
  • Guest Speaker
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Civil Engineering
  • Social
Day 8
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Lecture: Computer Engineering
  • Guest Speaker
  • World of Coca-Cola
Day 9
  • AU Credit Option
  • Leadership Series: Making Presentations
  • Engineering Simulation: Corps of Engineers
  • Dance
Day 10
  • Final Presentations
  • Closing Ceremony
  • Final TA Meeting
Note: While not every session is scheduled the same, this is an example of an Engineering session.