Course Information

By covering basic concepts in aerodynamics, the Aerospace Engineering program explores the science of flight. Topics such as drag, streamlining, airfoil stall and aircraft design will be studied. Participants learn how wings and aircraft create lift to fly. Wind- and water-tunnel experiments are conducted to visualize the airflow over aircraft, and computer simulations are run for different airfoil shapes. Participants will design and build a simple model aircraft using what they have learned.

Explore the world from the point of view of atoms to learn how we covert energy from sunlight, store energy in chemical bonds, and release energy back into the wild.  You will think about how we use chemistry every day, learn how material properties impact our lives, and control atoms and bonds to make new materials with new properties that have yet to be discovered!

Step into a one-week intensive experience where technology, entrepreneurship, and computer science converge. Guided by a WPI professor, you’ll take ideas from concept to prototype, building web-based applications and exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance your projects. Through collaborative, hands-on learning, you’ll master core web development skills—HTML, CSS, JavaScript—while gaining an introduction to Generative AI concepts and tools. This program equips you with practical tools to innovate and solve real-world challenges using both web technologies and AI. No prior experience required—just curiosity and creativity!

Use principles of chemistry to solve the mysteries of the world AND an ongoing crime!  You will learn some fundamental principles of chemistry, and then apply those principles in a series of hands-on activities to test evidence taken from our Who-Dunn-It Crime Scene. You will use your findings from the labs to question witnesses, interrogate suspects and identify the guilty party.

Do you love solving puzzles? Do you have a curious mind? Data scientists are detectives who use computer science and mathematics to solve mysteries. Whether it is marketing, healthcare, or the way that sports are played, data science is the key to making better decisions.

You will learn about data collection, statistical analysis, and data visualization techniques using the state-of-the-art software tool, Tableau. We will work through some hands-on activities to gain technical knowledge, as well as to learn presentation skills, in a storytelling manner, to deliver significant findings.

** Participants in this course are strongly encouraged to bring a "Windows-based" laptop from home! Students should be familiar with the Windows operating system and application software.

From smartwatches to autonomous vehicles, embedded systems power the technology that shapes our daily lives. In this program, participants will explore how sensors collect and process real-world data, and how microcontrollers bring those signals to life through intelligent computation. You will learn the fundamentals of embedded programming, circuit design, and sensor integration while working hands-on with real hardware. Using a combination of hardware and software tools, you will design and prototype a sensor-based system such as an environmental monitor or motion tracker that demonstrates how embedded systems connect the physical and digital worlds. This program offers a closer look at computer engineering concepts and how they translate into practical, real-world innovation.

From art to engine!  This intense week of fun and learning will teach students how to create a character model, set it up for animation and import it into the Unreal game engine. Students will work in industry standard tools, modeling in Zbrush, animating in Maya and finally lighting and rendering in unreal. Students will be provided with completed assignments if they can’t reach their vision in time. A special focus is placed on teaching students where to go when the class is over to continue their favorite part of the process.

Everything is made of materials! This program dives into four types of materials (polymers, ceramics, metals, and composites) using lots of hands-on activities (many involving food)! Oreo cookies are a composite! Taffy is a polymer! We look at how the atoms that make up a material affect their hardness, ductility, strength, and more. Each day you will uncover a new materials science topic with at least one edible activity to illustrate the concept.

Have you ever wondered how scientists and engineers use computers to identify patterns, understand natural phenomena, and develop innovative products?

This workshop gives you a chance to explore how they do it by building your own computational models in MATLAB. No prior programming experience needed.

Along the way, you’ll plot graphics to interpret data, create fractals and Game of Life simulations, and  investigate complex systems, self-organization, synchronization, and more. You’ll then apply what you’ve learned to a project of your choice and create a poster that showcases the model you developed and its potential applications.

Want more info about MATLAB, a powerful software widely used in college courses, research labs, and industry?  Check out this article about last year's program.

Time travel, black holes, quantum realm - What do these things have in common? Physics! They are all principles of modern physics! Investigate selected fields and applications of modern physics - such as interplanetary travel, atomic spectroscopy, quantum phenomena, and black holes. This program incorporates the combination of lectures, audio-visual presentations, and technical hands-on activities (simulations). Will your knowledge take you to the next dimension?

Discover the interdisciplinary nature of robotic design and operations. Explore concepts of mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as computer science. Through several projects, you will learn about the use of motors, mechanisms, sensors, and programming in robotics. The Python programming language will be used for an introduction to the type of programming similar to that used today on systems with embedded computers, like self-driving vehicles and drones.