Coming Up
July 18–23, 2021
Summer Explore Engineering Design Course
Event Updates
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“This week was amazing and it really cemented what I want to do in the future.”
COVID-19 Update
Due to logistical constraints imposed by the pandemic, we have canceled our Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 Explore Engineering events.
At this time, we are planning to offer the 2021 summer course in person and on campus as usual. Registration is now open for that event, and you can find more information about it below. In the event a cancellation becomes necessary, registered families will be notified and issued full refunds, including the non-refundable deposit.
Imagine, design and create things that matter!
Explore Engineering is a series of immersive engineering design courses for high school sophomore, junior and senior girls. Weekend events are offered in the spring and fall, and a weeklong pre-college, for-credit course is offered in the summer.
Working in teams with Sweet Briar engineering faculty and undergraduate engineering students, high schoolers work on creative and fun design projects that are perfect for both experienced students and those completely new to engineering. You’ll learn the design process from brainstorming to testing and revising prototypes, experience problem-solving as an engineer, and make your design a reality! Outside of class, you’ll stay in one of our historic residence halls with engineering student mentors, explore the many amenities of our beautiful campus, and get a taste of life as a college student.
Over the past 10 years, more than 500 students have attended an Explore Engineering event, designing and building such things as:
- Computer-controlled smart wearables
- Automated musical devices
- Sustainable building materials
- Automatically refilling pet bowls
- Electromechanical drawing machines
- Optical bass guitars
Want to learn more about our events? Check out this recent coverage:
WSET
WDBJ
Summer Explore Engineering Design Course | July 19–24, 2020
Due to concerns for the health and safety of participants and our faculty and staff, this course has been canceled. In its place, we will be offering a two-day virtual event July 21-22, 2020. More information about that event is available on this page under the tab for those dates. We are also accepting registrations for all of our events next school year, including the 2021 summer course. We are currently planning to offer those in our usual in-person format, but will reevaluate each event and issue refunds as necessary.
Questions
Rebecca Girten
P | 434-381-6447
E | rgirten@sbc.edu
Summer Explore Engineering Virtual Immersive | July 21-22, 2020
We’re offering a special online version of our Explore Engineering events!
This two day immersive for rising sophomore, junior, and senior girls will run from 1-5 pm Eastern Daylight Time and will feature hands-on problem solving with Sweet Briar engineering professors just as participants would if they were on campus. We’ll mail you a kit with supplies for each activity in advance, teach you all the things you’ll need to know, and then work together with you to build something cool. Sessions will cover design thinking, environmental engineering, and circuits, so you’ll get to test out multiple aspects of engineering!
Want to know more about Sweet Briar? Click here to schedule a personalized virtual tour!
Eligibility & Requirements
This event is open to rising high school sophomore, junior, and senior girls. Classes will be conducted synchronously online. Participants must have access to a computer with a webcam (preferably HD) and microphone, high-speed internet, and a flat, quiet workspace.
Cost
Cost is $150 and includes supplies and a T-shirt.
Registration
Register here. Space is extremely limited. Registration occurs on a rolling basis until the event fills.
Cancellations received before July 1, 2020 will be refunded in full. Cancellations received on or after July 1, 2020 will not be refunded.
Questions
Please contact:
Rebecca Girten
P | 434-381-6447
E | rgirten@sbc.edu
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Event Begins
Event Introduction and Icebreakers
1 p.m. EDT
Introduction to Design Thinking
Learn how engineers approach problem solving through the iterative design process. Students will work together on creative and fun problems designed to help them get to know each other better.
1:15 p.m. EDT
Water Filtration
In third-world countries, water filtration is often limited to recycled materials and what can be repurposed. Using a variety of soil samples that we’ll send you in advance, you’ll learn about the properties of soils and what makes a good filter, and then build and test a series of filters using everyday objects from around the house.
2:30 p.m. EDT
Session Concludes
5 p.m. EDT
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Introduction to Circuits
A crash course in sensors and actuators, wiring a breadboard, and how to make things happen.
1 p.m. EDT
Build a Light-Seeking Robot
Using your circuits knowledge and a kit of supplies that we’ll send you in advance, you’ll build a robot that senses and moves toward a light source.
2 p.m. EDT
Event Concludes
5 p.m. EDT
Fall Explore Engineering Weekend | October 23-24, 2020
Cost
Cost is $65 and includes room and board, snacks, supplies and a T-shirt.
Registration
Register here by Sept. 15, 2020 for highest priority. Space is limited and registration occurs on a rolling basis until the course fills.
Cancellations received before Oct. 1, 2020 will be refunded in full. Cancellations received on or after Oct. 1, 2020 will not be refunded.
Questions
Please contact:
Rebecca Girten
P | 434-381-6447
E | rgirten@sbc.edu
Friday, October 23, 2020
Campus Tour
Optional
4 p.m.
Dinner
Event Introduction
5 p.m.
Overnight Stay with Sweet Briar student mentors
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Group Work
Work in teams with Sweet Briar professors and students to create a computer-controlled, interactive, Halloween-themed device. No experience needed!
All Day
Project Exhibition
You’ll show your family and friends your work.
5 p.m.
Spring Explore Engineering Weekend | March 26-27, 2021
Cost
Cost is $65 and includes room and board, snacks, supplies and a T-shirt.
Registration
Register here by Feb. 15, 2021 for highest priority. Space is limited and registration occurs on a rolling basis until the event fills.
Cancellations received before Feb. 25, 2021 will be refunded in full. Cancellations received on or after Feb. 25, 2021 will not be refunded.
Questions
Please contact:
Rebecca Girten
P | 434-381-6447
E | rgirten@sbc.edu
Friday, March 26, 2021
Campus Tour
Optional
4 p.m.
Dinner
Event Introduction
5 p.m.
Overnight Stay with Sweet Briar student mentors
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Group Work
Work in teams with Sweet Briar professors and students on a creative, hands-on design project. No experience needed!
All Day
Project Exhibition
You’ll show your family and friends your work.
5 p.m.
Summer Explore Engineering Design Course | July 18–23, 2021
The summer course is offered for college credit.
Cost
The $950 course fee includes tuition, room and board, snacks, course supplies and a T-shirt. A non-refundable $200 deposit is due at registration, with the remaining balance due by May 15, 2021.
A limited number of scholarships are available for students interested in participating in the Summer Explore Engineering Design Course but who have significant financial need. Scholarships are awarded at $475. Click here to apply.
Registration
Register here by March 1, 2021 for highest priority. Space is limited and registration occurs on a rolling basis until the course fills.
Only fully paid course registrations reserve your student’s seat. Unpaid registrations are put on a waiting list until payment is received.
Cancellations received before June 1, 2021, will be refunded in full minus the deposit. Cancellations received on or after June 1, 2021, will not be refunded.
Questions
Please contact:
Rebecca Girten
P | 434-381-6447
E | rgirten@sbc.edu
Sunday, July 18, 2021
Check In
4 – 5:30 p.m.
Campus Tour
Optional
4:30 p.m.
Dinner
Program Begins
5:30 p.m.
Monday-Thursday, July 19-22, 2021
Classes and Group Work
Tour a local engineering company, interact with successful women engineers, and relax at the campus lake and pool. Main project: Design, build and test your own computer-controlled musical instrument. See an example here.
Friday, July 23, 2021
Course Overview and Project Exhibition (families invited)
You’ll show your family and friends your design work.
10:30 a.m. – Noon
Lunch (families invited)
Noon – 1 p.m.
Check Out
1 – 1:30 p.m.
Past Explore Engineering events have been supported by AREVA and the National Science Foundation — through its S-STEM (award #0850092) and STEP (award # 0525388) programs.
Additional Explore Events
Sweet Briar College’s EXPLORE is a series of immersive pre-college, residential events for high school sophomore, junior and senior girls. Weekend events for various disciplines are offered in the fall and spring, and a weeklong for-credit engineering course is offered in the summer.
The EXPLORE series offers high school girls opportunities to investigate different fields of study in a small-class setting. Working in teams with Sweet Briar faculty and undergraduate students, high-schoolers work on creative and fun projects — whether they’re collecting carbon storage data from the forests on our campus or designing and building a wearable electronic device in one of our engineering labs. No prior experience or knowledge is required — it’s a chance to EXPLORE!
Click here to learn more.