FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153
 

36 students from 26 high schools in 6 states
to take part in Engineering Academy at Marshall

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Thirty-six students from 26 high schools in Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and West Virginia will visit Marshall University’s Huntington campus Sunday, June 15 through Friday, June 20 to participate in the eighth annual Exploring Engineering: Academy of Excellence (EEAE).

Dr. Betsy Dulin, dean of Marshall’s College of Information Technology and Engineering, said the engineering academy is one of highlights of summer for the college.

“The engineering academy provides an excellent opportunity for high school students to explore engineering as a career, to meet practicing engineers, and to experience living on Marshall’s campus,” Dulin said. “We’ve been pleased and honored during the past eight years to host the students participating in the camp, and look forward to meeting the outstanding students participating in the 2008 camp.”

One of the features of Sunday’s opening session is a presentation by Mike Masterman from Extreme Endeavors, a company based in Philippi, W.Va., that has designed engineering systems for extreme environments. Beth Wolfe, coordinator of STEM Outreach at Marshall, said Masterman organized the first emergency medical air drop at the South Pole to help a doctor who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Wolfe also said a record number (15) of this year’s campers are female. Dr. William E. Pierson, chair of the Weisberg Division of Engineering and Computer Science at Marshall, said one objective of the camp is to introduce more girls to the opportunities in the engineering profession.

“The theme of our activities is teamwork: the importance of teamwork in planning and in working together to achieve a common goal,” Pierson said. “The academy is a good way to make students aware of what engineers do and what an exciting profession it is.”

Students are selected for the camp based upon their interest in and aptitude for engineering. Grades, courses taken and letters of recommendation are taken into consideration. The camp primarily tries to attract rising high school juniors.

The 2008 participants include:

David Balakaw of Louisa, Ky.; Ronald Beatty of South Charleston, W.Va.; Will Blair of Chagrin Falls, Ohio; Jason Camarano of Williamsport, Md.; Cody Case of Williamsport, Md.; Kirsten Cook of Culloden, W.Va.; Shane Daly of Hurricane, W.Va.; Staci Duncan of Portsmouth, Ohio; Henry Emanuel of Missouri City, Texas;

Morgan Ferguson of Kenova, W.Va.; Kandice Gibson of Bancroft, W.Va.; Daniel Gilmore of Hurricane, W.Va.; Eric Gindlesperger of Catlettsburg, Ky.; James Goble of Inez, Ky.; Taylor Hare of Charleston, W.Va.; Mandy Hiler of Bethel, Ohio; Ben Lee of Cincinnati, Ohio; Michelle Maiden of St. Marys, W.Va.;

Jaclyn Marcum of Ironton, Ohio; Ben McCarty of Barboursville, W.Va.; Justin Messinger of Charleston, W.Va.; Timothy Moffett of Crittenden, Ky.; Ben Noffsinger of Vienna, W.Va.; Rylan Pyciak of Harrisville, Ohio; Jessica Roberts of Nitro, W.Va.; Elise Shen of Charleston, W.Va.; Sean Shriner of Bessemer City, N.C.;

Lara Smith of St. Marys, W.Va.; Tawnni Taylor of Princeton, W.Va.; Molly Terry of Milton, W.Va.; Jennifer Testerman of Bluefield, W.Va.; Autumn Ward of Minford, Ohio; Alex Wilson of Hurricane, W.Va.; Samuel Wood of South Charleston, W.Va.; Shelley Yang of Charleston, W.Va.; and Steve Young of Charleston, W.Va.

Here is the schedule for this year’s Exploring Engineering:  Academy of Excellence:

 

Sunday, June 15

2-3 p.m.: Check-in at Willis Hall, Marshall Commons

2:20-2:40 p.m.: Campus tours (Leave from Willis Hall lobby at 2:20, 2:30 or 2:40)

3-5 p.m.: Welcome and presentation by Mike Masterman, Extreme Endeavors – Smith Hall, Room 154.  Families of students are encouraged to stay for this event.

5-9 p.m.: Icebreaker exercises, dinner, and team building exercises, Memorial Student Center and Gullickson Hall Room #5 (GH 5)

 

Monday, June 16

8-11:30 a.m.: Introduction to CAD/CAM, using AutoCAD Inventor to make a CO₂ racer – Gullickson Hall (GH) Room 206A

11:30-noon: Lunch, Harless Dining Hall

12:30-4:30 p.m.: Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering:  Surveying, GPS, and Environmental Sampling – Buskirk Field

4:30-5 p.m.: Dinner, Harless Dining Hall

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Concrete mixing – 7^th Avenue Lab

6:30-8 p.m.: CO₂  Racers – GH 5

 

Tuesday, June 17

8-9 a.m.: Introduction to trebuchet design – Drinko 402

9:30-11:30 a.m.: Trebuchet design and construction – Buskirk Field

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Luncheon with Society of American Military Engineers members – Harless Dining Hall, Ed Grose Room  

12:30-2 p.m.:   Complete trebuchet construction

2-3 p.m.: Trebuchet competition

3-4 p.m.: Computer Science Student Presentation (GH 5)

4-5 p.m.: Dinner, Harless Dining Hall

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Intelligent Transportation Systems Presentation (GH5)

6:30-8 p.m.: CO₂  Racers – GH 5

 

Wednesday, June 18

8-9:30 a.m.: Introduction to Intelligent Transportation

Systems (using Lego robotics) – GH 5

9:30-11:30 a.m.: Work on robot design/construction – GH 5

11:30-12:30 p.m.: Lunch, Harless Dining Hall

12:30-2 p.m.: Finalize Robot Design – GH 5

2-3 p.m.: Robotics Competition – GH 5

3-4:30 p.m.: Concrete Testing – 7^th Avenue Lab

4:30-5 p.m.: Dinner, Harless Dining Hall

5:30-8 p.m.: Complete work on CO₂ Racers – GH 5

 

Thursday, June 19

8 a.m.-5 p.m.: Field trips and discussions with engineers:

9-11:15 a.m.: Toyota Plant, Buffalo, W.Va.

11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Lunch at Golden Corral, Cross Lanes

12:30-1 p.m.: Travel to West Virginia American Water

1-2:45 p.m.: Tour West Virginia American Water

2:45-3:10 p.m.: Travel to Chesapeake Energy

3:30-5 p.m.: GIS Presentation & Panel Discussion

5-6:15 p.m.: Travel to Waves of Fun

6:30-9 p.m.: Dinner and pool party, Waves of Fun

 

Friday, June 20

8:45-10:15 a.m.: CO₂ Races – Gullickson Gym

10:30-11:15 a.m.: EEAE evaluation and wrap-up – GH 5

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Awards luncheon, Big Green Room, Joan C. Edwards Football Stadium - students, families, sponsors, staff and guests

 

Sponsors of the 2008 engineering academy are:

Nick J. Rahall, II, Appalachian Transportation Institute; Marshall University’s College of Information Technology and Engineering; the Huntington Post of the Society of American Military Engineers; Learning for Life; Huntington District Corps of Engineers; Kanawha Stone/Terradon; West Virginia Research Challenge Fund; Toyota Motors; West Virginia American Water; The Dow Chemical Company; Dupont; Bayer; J.H. Fletcher & Co.; the West Virginia Section of American Society of Civil Engineers; and Chesapeake Energy.

For more information, call Wolfe at (812) 361-4377.

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