Inspiring Young Minds to Engineer

Last week, Spec Engineering wrapped up the fifth annual Junior Engineers Camp. Third through fifth graders were welcomed at Spec’s Naperville office to enjoy a week full of STEM activities. Members of the Spec team visited throughout the week to give campers a glimpse at how engineering is used in their daily work lives.

“The Junior Engineers Camp is an excellent way to expose the next generation to the STEM field early on through exciting and engaging activities,” says Tyler Davenport, Design Engineer at Spec Engineering. “It was a pleasure to be a part of it, and I look forward to next year’s camp.”

Spec began this camp in 2017 as a way to give back to the community and encourage kids at a young age to consider a career in engineering or STEM related field. Over the years, it has evolved to include safety in each day’s lessons. Even past participants have come back to volunteer at camp!

It was a full week of activities for the campers. Monday started with pneumatics, with the campers making pneumatic toys and having fun with stomp rockets. Electrical engineering day was Tuesday, and the campers created circuit bugs and graphite circuits. On Wednesday, the campers learned about chemical engineering through making elephant toothpaste and tie dye shirts.

To wrap up the week, on Thursday, campers learned about materials and flow through testing out the viscosity of common ingredients and making their own slime. Friday is always an engaging technology day with virtual reality, 3D pens, and a coding activity. Engineers from Spec explain how we use virtual reality and 3D printing within our projects for better result so the campers can understand real-life applications.

“I absolutely loved seeing the excitement of the Junior Engineers and their willingness to learn about the different engineering topics,” says Greg Enriquez, Engineering Equipment Lead at Spec Engineering. “This camp really showed that engineering is everywhere and that it’s fun and exciting!”