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!

Immerse yourself in a one-week intensive course that merges the realms of technology, entrepreneurship, and computer science. Guided by an expert WPI professor, you'll navigate the fast-paced journey of technology development, from inception to presentation. This course emphasizes collaborative learning, where you'll engage in group projects to create web-based applications. You'll explore various design and programming techniques, fostering a space to share and refine your ideas with peers. The curriculum focuses on essential web development skills, covering topics and languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the basics of networking. This course is designed to equip you with practical skills for solving real-world problems using technology.

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.

Millions of engineers and scientists use MATLAB to send satellites into space, operate robots, process medical images, and more! You can start building this skill NOW. You will gain experience with MATLAB programming by creating graphics to understand data, modeling the geometry of nature using fractals, and developing codes to simulate the behavior of complex systems. 

We will explore concepts such as RGB color model, fractals, randomness, self-organization, cellular automata (Game of Life), networks and six degrees of separation through a variety of hands-on exercises, a mini-project, and a poster. No prior programming experience is assumed.

Want more info about MATLAB, check out this article about last year's program.

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.

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.