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FROM CHAOS TO CREATIVITY

The next generation of engineers takes shape at WVU Engineering Challenge Camps

By West Virginia University

September 2^nd, 2025

Many West Virginia University halls of learning fell silent when students left for the summer of 2025, but the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources wasn’t one of them. In fact, some corners of the building echoed with the mighty ruckus of dozens of first, second and third graders.

In the average elementary school, such a roar of enthusiasm might have been quelled with a stern word or sharp look. But at the Engineering Challenge Camp, the noisy crowd was waiting for a robotics celebrity to visit their classroom. Anticipation grew and, as the door opened, the young campers erupted into screams and cheers.

RoboDog had arrived.

The Statler College’s mechanical canine — named Blu — lacked a head and tail but compensated with gusto as it scurried into the room on four long legs.

Blu sat up.

Blu begged.

Blu hopped in circles and waggled its hind end as the campers collapsed in hysterics.

After the campers got to pet RoboDog, their counselor found her best outdoor voice and asked if they wanted to learn how to program a robot like Blu and create their own robot sidekick. With the high-tech hound fresh in their minds, the kids were ready. What they learned at camp will lay the foundation for their future as WVU engineering students.

Students build mazes with wood blocks to navigate their robots through

ENGINEERING FOR EVERYONE

The WVU Engineering Challenge Camps program began in 2012. Though initially targeted to high school students, it eventually expanded to include elementary and middle schoolers. At its peak, more than 400 campers from up to 15 states attended each summer.

Julie Gruber is the recruitment and outreach coordinator at the Statler College. The former middle school science teacher joined WVU in 2022 and stepped up to lead camp programming a year later. Her teaching background has played a vital part in her present role, in which she not only engages campers with STEM activities but integrates science into subjects like math and reading.

“The goal is to make engineering approachable,” she said. “We want to show kids that it’s not just for people who are good at math. It’s about problem solving, creativity and working together.”

The camps are divided by age — lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school and high school. There’s a high demand for the elementary and middle school camps, which fill up within hours, and no one is turned away for financial reasons. Thermo Fisher Scientific and Northeast Natural Energy provided scholarships in 2025.

“Our sponsors understand how important this is,” Gruber said. “We work hard to make sure every kid who wants to be here can be.”

2 boys work on programming their Shero robotic ball.

A girl with colorful sneakers stands by her Sphero robotic ball.

Close-up of children's hands as they put together a small robot.

2 boys work on building a boat out of aluminum foil.

A WVU student teaches children at camp how to program the Spero robotic ball.

TRY, TRY AGAIN

The elementary school students attending Superheroes in STEM camp were anything but subdued as they prepared to make “web slingers” — mechanical bracelets that launched Spiderman-inspired, crime-fighting projectiles. The process — one that would become the week’s highlight — wasn’t easy.

Students tested their web slingers in the atrium, where projectiles whizzed in all directions.

“Say hello to my little friend!” a young engineer howled, ducking as other kids’ missiles flew by. One camper, however, aimed for the stairs and noticed the way the plastic webs bounced downward. The rest of the group joined in and, within just a few moments, they moved from free play to self-directed learning.

The biggest lesson, however, came in the moments of defeat rather than victory. Some web slingers performed well, while others needed a redesign.

“Those mistakes are part of the process,” Gruber explained. “You can see it click — the moment they realize they’re allowed to take risks, to test ideas, to fail and try again. That’s real learning.”

Camp counselors work hard to share such life lessons. Most are current Statler College students, and many were campers themselves. The mentorship loop is an integral part of the experience for young attendees.

“The kids see a WVU student who looks like them, who went to a school like theirs, and it changes everything,” Gruber said. “Suddenly, college — and engineering — feels possible.”

Counselor Channelle Ramos, a junior from Clarksburg, West Virginia, studying civil engineering, was once a middle school student of Gruber’s.

“I became a camp counselor because she got me interested and engaged with concepts of engineering,” Ramos said. “I wanted to help generate that environment for the upcoming generation. I hope the kids are curious and think about how engineering and science play a role in their lives every day.”

A boy smiles as he aims and shoots his web shooter.

A girl shows great determination as she tries to fire her web shooter.

A couple of youngsters get their web shooters attached to their wrists.

HELP FROM THE HUB

While elementary camps present kids with fun themes like robotics and superheroes, middle and high school campers spend the week working on a capstone project. Gruber has structured these projects to give students a taste of what they might encounter in a college engineering program or in the industry itself. For example, high schoolers who attended “Machines in Motion” camp constructed small roller coasters, and students at “Charged Up” camp built a solar-powered windmill.

Campers rely on creativity and teamwork to complete their capstone, and it’s not always an easy week. Counselors are quick to remind young engineers that failure is a natural and valuable part of the process.

“We really want them to understand engineering design,” Gruber said. “Identify a problem, come up with ideas, try things, fail, try again and improve. A lot of kids come in shy and unsure, and by the end of the week, they’re leading a team or speaking confidently about their project. It’s amazing.”

Gruber works closely with the WVU Lane Innovation Hub to develop the middle and high school capstone projects. The 9,500-square-foot makerspace and service center in the Engineering Sciences Building provides state-of-the-art tools for prototyping, fabrication and product development. Open to students, faculty and the public, the Hub offers expertise and equipment for tasks like 3D printing, computerized manufacturing, metalworking and electronics, and it supports a wide swath of disciplines from engineering and robotics to fashion and biomedical design. Campers can get trained on the equipment for free and continue their pursuits after camp ends.

“The students love any chance they get to go to the Lane Innovation Hub,” she said. “They love building their own prototypes for the capstones. By the end of the week, they don’t want more activities — they want more time to work on their projects.”

Counselors like Ramos also work closely with older campers, and while the mentorship roles look different, they’re equally rewarding.

“Seeing every camper engaged and excited with their capstone project and wanting to constantly improve and succeed was such a wonderful thing to watch,” Ramos said. “I’m excited for what these kids will do as they enter college and start their careers.”

In addition to their capstone projects, high school campers take field trips. The energy-focused camp went to the WVU Academy for Mine Training and Energy Technologies and practiced training for emergencies by working as a team to put out a fire. A second high school group visited Pratt & Whitney, an RTX Business, and Aurora Flight Sciences, Boeing’s advanced aerospace manufacturing facility in Bridgeport, West Virginia.

The visits offered Gruber a chance to send a broader message.

“There are STEM opportunities in West Virginia,” she said. “It’s a misconception that students need to leave to be successful. They can continue here and give back to the state they’ve grown up in.”

Children sit at a table and work on putting together their web shooters.

A WVU student helps children put together their web shooters.

A girl rests the aluminum boat she made on top of her head as she waits her turn to see how many marbles it can support.

TODAY’S BLUEPRINTS, TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS

While the camp team is happy to send future engineers home with a web slinger or a Hub-inspired capstone creation, they also hope to shatter stereotypes about the field.

Gruber recalled, “I had a student who said, ‘I thought engineers just sat at desks and did math. I didn’t know they built things. I didn’t know I could be one.’ That’s why this matters.”

The young Statler engineers may not yet realize the significance of their time at Engineering Challenge Camp, but thanks to a hard-working leadership team, they took home much more than web slingers and robot recollections.

Elementary school camper Katie Wanstreet, of Clarksburg, said she wanted to be a superhero when she grows up, while her older brother, Jack, wanted to be a banana rocket engineer. First-time campers Amelia Hays and Aubree Bodkin, both of Morgantown, had big plans, too.

“I’m going to be a veterinarian!” Hays shouted.

“I want to be a spider girl,” Bodkin said, grinning and holding her arms wide. “Spider girls can fly!”

Their futures will emerge soon. For now, it’s enough to dream.

Footnotes

Story by Laura Jackson. Photos by Scott Lituchy.

Button Label

FootNotes

Story by Laura Jackson. Photos by Scott Lituchy.

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The next generation of engineers takes shape at WVU Engineering Challenge Camps

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