Last week, I had the honor of mentoring an extraordinary group of high school students at the Camp Lejeune Society of American Military Engineers Construction and Engineering Camp with Tech Sgt Josh Dane and Midshipman Melody Zhu. These young minds, aspiring to careers in STEM fields or engineering, truly impressed me with their enthusiasm and dedication.
Our week was packed with dynamic, hands-on activities designed to immerse students in the world of engineering and construction:
Concrete Beam Construction: Students designed, built, and tested concrete beams by driving a 7-ton vehicle over them—an unforgettable lesson in structural integrity.
Cardboard Boat Races: Creativity and engineering combined as students built and raced boats made entirely of cardboard... and excessive amounts of plastic wrap and duct tape!
Trebuchet Building: A fun and educational project where students constructed trebuchets and launched fruit, learning about mechanics and physics as well as using basic tools.
Water Management Projects: Students designed stormwater basins, gaining insights into sustainable water practices and environmental engineering.
Demolition Range: A hands-on explosive experience learning about the principles of controlled demolition.
Other highlights included a sandcastle building competition and a volleyball tournament during our luau night at Onlsow Beach, generously sponsored by Cape Fear Engineering, Inc, and engineering games where the teams had to fix broken water pipes, use geometry and calculus to find the water pressure from a water tower, and race in a nail driving relay against the other teams.
The camp hosted 59 students, supported by 14 dedicated mentors, 6 active duty squad leaders, midshipmen from the Naval Academy, and a fantastic team of curriculum and logistics personnel. This incredible experience was made possible by our generous sponsors, including individual supporters of the SAME Foundation. If you would like to help foster the next generation of military, government civilian, and A/E/C industry leaders, consider:
Making a donation: https://my.same.org/donate
Supporting the camp directly by volunteering: https://lnkd.in/eGMQYriA
Or promoting attendance - If you have a high schooler or know a high schooler who may be interested in attending, join the mailing list for next year's camps: https://lnkd.in/efYtKUd8