Summer camp typically evokes memories of canoes, campfires, and scary stories, but for a group of junior high students in Boise, Chip Camp means a crash course on the business and practice of micro-engineering.
It’s all part of a Micron-sponsored 3-day event designed to inspire and educate students who are eyeing careers in the STEM field.
Roughly 160 teens participate in the camp that urges imaginations to run wild alongside a variety of exhibits and models that take them through the various forces at work on the microscopic scale of a microchip, as well as applications such as robotics.
For students like Amber Smith, who has always been good with numbers, the camp bolsters her interest in engineering which she hopes will result in a fulfilling career and a satisfying life.
Having first grasped a desire to be an engineer by the third grade, she enjoys the camp as part of her experience that will build up the future for her adult self.
“I'm really enjoying engineering,” says Smith, "so I want to make a career worth my time and worth my efforts, and that's enjoyable for me."
The camp also allows for students to gain exposure to college students who are working within the field.
A group of BSU college students was able to showcase an autonomous vehicle to the students called the Baja Car, and the Chickadees, an all-girl robotics team, visited to tell these students about the cooperative environment that brings out the best in people, and share their individual experiences as engineers as well.
The camp will be held June 14-16, and June 21-23 at the Dehryl A. Dennis Professional Technology Center, 8201 West Victory Road, Boise, Idaho.
