Agentic AI: From LLMs to Intelligent Agents- Let’s move past the 'magic' of AI to show you how these systems actually work. We'll begin by exploring the inner workings of Large Language Models (LLMs), learn what makes them so effective, and examine where their limitations lie. We’ll then dive into the world of AI agents. You'll discover how to leverage LLMs to build systems that can think, plan, and take action on their own, equipping you to shape the next generation of technology.
Bite-Sized Science: The Engineering of Food- Why does chocolate melt so smoothly in your mouth, but frozen pizza needs just the right oven time to cook evenly? Food engineering is all about applying chemical engineering principles to design processes that balance taste, safety, and sustainability. In this module, you’ll discover how engineers control heat transfer, fluid flow, and material properties to target specific design metrics in the design and production of ice cream.
The Digital Age: Building Blocks of Electronics- Dive into the fundamentals of digital electronics with this hands-on module. We will learn the principles of circuit construction, voltage/resistance, and microcontrollers. We’ll also see various applications of these systems and how we interact with them. You’ll be immersed in the creative and practical foundation for understanding the technology that powers everything from computers and cell phones to robotics.
Engineering a Brain (Sort Of)- How do machines sense their environment and react in real time? In this module, you’ll explore the fundamentals of mechatronics and learn how engineers combine hardware and programming to create responsive, intelligent systems used in robotics, transportation, and healthcare.
From Drive-Thrus to Theme Parks: Engineering Better Wait Times- Are you curious about how industrial engineers optimize waiting lines at Disney World to ensure you do not miss your ride? Are you interested in knowing how queuing models are used to minimize COVID-19 vaccine wait times? This module will expose you to how industrial engineers use queuing models to design effective workflows at places such as amusement parks and restaurants to minimize wait time.
Highway Impact: Balancing Communities & Infrastructure- Imagine you’re a civil engineer in Dayton in the 1950s. You’re tasked with specifying the location of the “new” Interstate 75 and Interstate 70. In this module, you’ll work together to determine the best location for the new interstates that impact the most citizens, without impacting already existing towns and infrastructure.
Industrial Mechatronics and Robots- As fewer people work in manufacturing and other factories, robots and other forms of industrial mechatronics are used to automate production to keep up with demand. Engineers help design manufacturing and assembly processes that these robots follow. Join us as we assemble the end gripper that allows a robot to grab parts and tune the pneumatic air supply to power the gripper.
Lighting the Way: Explore LEDs and Build a Flashlight - Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) are used in traffic lights, domestic lighting, remote controls, and many other everyday products. Are you curious about how LEDs work? Are you interested in building your own flashlight with LEDs? In this module, you will use soldering (a process using heat to join two metal surfaces together) to build a functioning flashlight with electrical components such as resistors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and a switch.
Nature's Plastic: Making Biopolymers for a Sustainable World - Become a green engineer and work toward addressing one of the most challenging engineering problems - plastic waste. Can you help design and create biodegradable biopolymers by experimenting with ingredients and processes to optimize strength, flexibility, and sustainability? Using principles from chemistry, materials, and bioengineering, you can turn science into real-world solutions.
Rules Even Energy Can't Break- The laws of thermodynamics are basic but surprisingly hard to understand. Using pipe flow, we will demonstrate that energy is conserved, mass remains constant, and entropy always increases. This is a hands-on lab involving a student-constructed pipe apparatus where measurements will be taken to prove the laws of thermodynamics.
Sustainable Water Solutions for Global Communities- Clean water is essential, but many underserved communities around the world don't have access to high-tech solutions. Design and test your own water filtration system using local and sustainable materials that are within your budget and are available to these communities. Projects like these are solved each year by engineering students who travel to breakout and immersion programs through our Ethos Center.
See the Invisible: How Light Reveals What’s Under Your Skin- For many medical applications, such as diagnosing cancer or monitoring blood oxygen levels, it is crucial to understand processes that are occurring in the human body beneath the surface of the skin. By shining different types of light onto tissue and using a camera to detect the properties of the light that returns to the surface, we can visualize biophysical information that the human eye cannot directly observe. This module demonstrates different examples of this phenomenon, including hands-on exercises using your own smartphone!
Unlocking Your Creativity for Design Solutions- Ever wonder how to turn one good idea into a hundred possibilities? When generating new ideas for products and services, most people rely on brainstorming alone. Brainstorming is a good way to start — but there are other techniques that are more fun and creative, and that greatly increase the quantity and quality of novel ideas. Explore three additional techniques to generate ideas for an everyday medical device — stethoscopes.
Why Structures Fail (and How Engineers Prevent It)- Design, build, and test creative structures using only unlikely materials to explore civil engineering concepts like stability, load distribution, and structural strength. Experiment, problem-solve, and iterate designs to create the most stable structure possible—one that can support increasing weight without breaking.
