Over 30 high school students worked alongside faculty members from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University during the ENGAGE Summer Camp held on campus. Faculty members who mentored the students included: Instructional Assistant Professor Dr. Philip Ritchey, Associate Professor Dr. Bruce Gooch and Department Head, Professor and Holder of the Ford Motor Company Design Professorship II, Dr. Dilma Da Silva
The culmination of the week-long camp was a showcase, where the students were able to display the projects they had worked on throughout the week.
The students who worked with Ritchey and Da Silva focused on creating smartphone applications. Two of the projects, Instead and Envez, were created with the idea that you can save money while also donating to charity. The apps provide a mechanism for the user to accept a given modification such as brewing one’s own coffee for a week instead of buying out, and also donating a portion of that money saved to those in need.
Don’t Eat Alone allows those seeking friends to dine out with a convenient solution. To begin, one takes a personality quiz and the application then compares the results with others on the app; once you have a match, the phone’s maps will guide you and your match to a restaurant choice near you.
Gooch also worked with several groups of students who presented projects including Printed Quadcopter with direct Brain interface, Design and Build a Card Game, Design and Build a board Game, which used 3-D printed game pieces, and Build a Music Scanning Workstation.
Printed Quadcopter with direct Brain interface incorporated both aerospace engineering and computer science into a single endeavor. The students worked together to create the mind-controlled aircraft, called a quadcopter, by using Rapid Prototype software and Makerbot hardware.
The students who worked on the smartphone applications said the most rewarding aspect of their project was when the program became a working reality after several unsuccessful attempts.
The ENGAGE Summer Camp is designed for high school students from underrepresented groups in Texas who are strong in science, technology and mathematics. The camp provides students with hands-on, memorable experiences while inspiring them to pursue higher education as well as a career in engineering.
During the camp, students stayed in residence halls on campus where they engaged in discussions with student and faculty panels, visited engineering laboratories and research centers and worked on their projects. Current engineering students served as camp counselors.