For rising 7th – 9th Graders (*IDEA)
June 20th – June 23rd, 2023 (Local Day Camp)
*IDEA camps are mission-driven camp sessions led by departments aiming to Increase Diversity, Equity, & Access in STEM majors and careers. These camps focus on support and empowerment of traditionally excluded populations in STEM including (but not limited to) the areas of gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and ability. The absence of their talents is a detriment to the STEM fields. IDEA camps provide a safe environment to build a community of peers and mentors who empower one another to be confident in their exploration of STEM. All are welcome to apply.
In this camp, you will learn design thinking and apply it to projects such as building a small electric car. First, demo and experiments are performed to illustrate how electric motors and batteries work. This helps the students visualize how electrical energy is converted into motion. Then, you will build the car using fundamental building blocks. Throughout the camp, students will be exposed to design thinking and will design their own 3D printed accessories. At the end, students will get to play with the cars and race them. This camp offers a balanced mix of education, engineering and fun to inspire the future generation to pursue STEM careers to achieve clean and sustainable energy future.
Camp Coordinators:
Elie Libbos (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.E. (with high distinction) degree in electrical and computer engineering (ECE) from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Beirut, Lebanon, in 2018 and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC), Urbana, IL, USA, in 2020. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree at UIUC. He interned with Texas Instrument’s Kilby Labs in 2022. His research focus lies in power electronics and electric machines and drives for electric vehicles. He will be joining Texas Instruments as full time system engineer in September. Elie is part of the student leadership council in the center for power optimization of electrothermal systems (POETS) where he serves as the STEM outreach coordinator. Mr. Libbos received the ECE Distinguished Graduate Award in 2018 from AUB. As a graduate student, he has been awarded the ECE Distinguished Research Fellowship, UIUC.
Camp Schedule(s):