Engineering the Future

For six years, Grand Valley has taken steps to introduce young girls and minorities to the possibility of careers in science, technology and engineering through a special summer camp.

Science Technology and Engineering Preview Summer (STEPS) camp was first held at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1997, with funding from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Educational Foundation. In 2002, the foundation contacted Grand Valley with a proposal to develop STEPS programs in Michigan.

Grand Valley embraced the idea as part of its outreach programs aimed at encouraging higher enrollment in science and engineering. Today, Grand Valley is one of seven camp sites active in the U.S. Together they have provided opportunities for more than 4,000 girls and boys over the past 10 years. The new Kennedy Hall of Engineering was the home base for about 80 campers in June. That brings the total to almost 500 campers in Grand Valley’s six years of participation.

“We believe reaching students at an early age can effectively influence their choice of classes in mathematics, science, and technology in middle school and high school,” said Margo Dill, from Grand Valley’s Regional Math & Science Center, who co-directs the STEPS camp with Jessica Noble, Padnos College of Engineering and Computing. “These courses are essential preparation for entering and succeeding in college level engineering programs.”

The STEPS program at Grand Valley is a four-day, applied science experience for girls entering the seventh grade. While building their own radio-controlled model airplanes, campers gain an understanding of basic engineering principles and the use of high-tech equipment and customized manufacturing tools. Program highlights during the week include a CAD lab, Web site design, an aerodynamics lab, airplane construction, and CNC machining. With a computer-simulated flight game, campers discover the correct way to make turns, control altitude, and fine tune their flying skills before actually flying their planes.

Dill said the camp was designed to achieve an appropriate balance between technical, developmental, and recreational activities. Students took a trip to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport to experience a flight in a Cessna aircraft with pilots from Benz Aviation West and tour a local corporate jet hangar. Campers also learned how to use GPS units as they searched for four hidden treasure boxes at the John Ball Zoo. During a guided tour of the Howmet Casting Corporation, a jet engine component manufacturing facility in Whitehall, campers used hands-on displays created by 17 female Howmet engineers to study the processes they use in manufacturing and testing of parts. The session culminates with Fly Night in which each girl flies her own plane and graduation at a flying field in Allendale.

STEPS camp is tuition-free thanks to generous support from many donors.