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Siblings Alex and Molly Potempa, students at Providence Catholic High School, participated in Project SELECT at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana this summer. The program offers high school students practical experience in science and engineering while introducing them to campus life.
Alex, a junior, said he attended because he was interested in exploring engineering as a career and wanted to visit Rose-Hulman. “I had been interested in exploring engineering as a career, and wanted to visit Rose-Hulman,” Alex said. He noted the value of learning about different types of engineering through hands-on activities: “the best part was learning about different types of engineering and performing activities related to a variety of topics, like chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering.”
During his time on campus, Alex toured various departments, spoke with professors, and worked on projects such as building air quality testers and solar powered batteries. Other activities included purifying water, changing the properties of hand lotion, and making plastics. “The experience there provided new insights into the various engineering fields and how each of them differ,” he explained. “My plans for future careers have changed slightly, as I now better understand the various engineering fields, and hope to focus on mechanical or electrical engineering.”
Molly Potempa attended the camp to explore her interests as well. “I wanted to go so I could learn about different types of engineering and sciences to narrow down future careers, and see what I liked about the campus of Rose-Hulman,” she said.
Molly highlighted the benefits of hands-on learning at the camp: “My favorite activity we did was creating air quality sensors because I loved learning how to make the electrical elements of the project work properly,” she said. She added that it helped her distinguish between different branches within STEM: “It helped me see what the differences are between types of engineering and the difference between scientists and engineers.”
She participated in labs that included creating air pollution sensors, developing consumer care products, building solar power batteries, purifying dirty water, and making plastics. Molly stated that her interest in STEM grew during her time at Project SELECT: “I’ve known I’ve wanted to go into STEM as a career, and this camp helped me develop an interest in electrical engineering and chemical engineering.”
Both siblings returned from their week-long program with new perspectives on STEM fields.
