Product designers create the products we use today and innovate new ones for tomorrow, including electronics, toys, footwear, tools, sports equipment, and medical devices. In this session, students will learn about the product development process and the methodology used by designers within industry to innovate new work for consumers through the development of an original product. Their work will utilize an array of approaches, including iterative sketching and cutting-edge digital tools. Professional designers will visit the camp, offering visual communication demonstrations and a critic of student designs.

Do you want to design and construct sustainable buildings? Bridges and highways? Create a cleaner environment? Civil engineers do it all. Learn how these professionals solve worldwide problems like supplying people with clean water and building safe structures and roads. With the help of knowledgeable faculty and current students, you’ll work in teams to build structures, conduct experiments, and compete in creative challenges. You'll visit Michigan's SEMTOC, a world-class traffic management center, and learn about the cutting-edge work being done in the field today.

Explore the tools and techniques used in the emerging field of interaction design to create a functional prototype of your own mobile app. In a hands-on studio environment, you will ideate, experiment and test your design, while learning about user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and design-thinking strategies. Walk away with a portfolio-ready project. You will also visit local design firms and hear guest talks from industry professionals. No prior experience necessary.

Explore the architectural design process through drawing. In this session, you will learn about the fundamentals of drawing, orthographic projection, and design through the completion of a small-scale architectural project. You’ll have one-on-one time with the instructor, participate in group critiques and prepare a final presentation. The content of this session is supported by visiting architects, in-class critiques, and field experience to local design event or a visit to Detroit-area architectural firms and noteworthy architectural works.

Explore the role of a biomedical engineer in designing procedures and equipment that assist in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and injury; make medical testing less intrusive; and enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities. Team projects will acquaint you with basic engineering design tools and the instrumentation used in medical settings.

In a research lab setting, you'll genetically engineer bacteria, purify and quantify proteins, and learn how to clone genes. You'll apply modern DNA profiling techniques to solve crimes and use high-tech tools to diagnose diseases and track infectious outbreaks. Your days will be filled with hands-on experiments.

If you are interested in robotics and want to start or build your foundation in robotics but you do not know where or how to start, this camp is the right starting point for you. In this camp you learn about robotics by building and programming robots. You build electronic circuits, learn about sensors and work with Arduino microcontroller. Moreover, you become familiar with mechanical and electronic parts and programming in robotics and expand your knowledge and vision about the future of robotics in modern society. Teamwork and hands on experiments are the centerpieces of this camp in acquiring basic skills to build robots. This is a prerequisite for Robotics II Summer Camp, which explores programming and controlling of robots.

Where better to learn about automotive engineering than at Lawrence Technological University, whose alumni led the design teams of the GTO, the DeLorean, the Taurus, and countless other vehicles? This camp will expose you to the fundamentals of vehicle design and performance. You’ll participate in activities in LTU’s engineering laboratories and visit an automotive industry lab that is involved in the design and manufacturing of modern-day vehicles.

Explore the role of a computer networking and cybersecurity engineer. Learn the fundamentals in monitoring and identifying problems in modern computer networking environments. Gain a better understanding of the design, motivation, and analysis of the basic building blocks of secure computer and network infrastructure. You will get hands-on experience with basic computer monitoring tools used to troubleshoot and improve computer network security. Exciting tours will enhance your experience.

Explore the tools and techniques used in the world of video game development. In this camp, you’ll learn fundamental information on game design from artists, programmers, and professionals in the industry. You’ll produce 2-D pixel art and stylized art assets, 3-D brush modeling sculpts, and object-oriented code for level design demonstrations within the Unity Game Engine. By the end of the week, you will have developed a number of portfolio samples and fully-functioning and published game prototype as part of a mini-game art portfolio.

Automotive designers are already busy designing the next generation of cars, trucks and other transportation products. This camp will cover the drawing fundamentals and basic perspectives used by these designers to develop a specific automotive brand. The techniques and processes used in this session will mirror those used in industry. The content of the camp will focus upon the fundamentals of vehicle design, including explorations into proportion and perspective, and the techniques and processes used in design ideation. Professional designers will visit the camp, offering visual communication demonstrations and a critique of student designs.

Explore the architectural design process through drawing and model-making. In this session, you will learn about the fundamentals of creating an architectural space through creative model-making, two and three-dimensional design iteration, and interior design through the completion of an architectural project. You’ll have one-on-one time with the instructor, engage in group exercises and critiques, and participate in an exhibit installation for the final presentation. Visiting artists, in-class critiques, and field experiences add to the content of the class. You will visit LTU’s Affleck House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and other key locations where you will investigate architectural precedents through drawing and image making to better inform the context of your project.

The hidden world of very small things – the nanoscale – is a magical place. At the size of atoms and molecules, materials we use every day behave very differently. The aluminum in your pop can could explode at the nanoscale. Gold is no longer yellow; it can be red, blue, or purple. If you were the size of a nanometer, a single strand of human hair would be about 80,000 times taller than you and the head of a pin a million times bigger. Find out about the exciting and weird world of nanotechnology in this interactive camp.

This hands-on camp covers the basics of electrical and computer engineering. Topics covered include basic computer programming, understanding how a computer works, and learning electronic components, including transducers. You will walk away with an Arduino-based kit, a digital-multi meter, electronic components, and a game project, which you will have programmed and soldered. By the end of this camp, you will have had hands-on experience with the C programing language, reading schematics, constructing circuit boards, and testing for functionality.

Looking to go green? Want to reduce energy use and preserve our natural resources? Take your artistic skills, creativity, imagination, and interest in architecture, engineering, and the building sciences to the next level by learning how to create a more sustainable world. Architectural engineers design high-performing buildings that are durable, safe, healthy, and economical. Hands-on projects, group activities, and field trips to a green building site and an architectural engineering office are just a few of the fun activities planned for you! A final project will cap off this exciting week of learning and collaboration.

What do you think of when you hear the names McDonald’s, Nike, Mahatma Gandhi, or Martin Luther King, Jr.? Whatever comes to mind is part of the brand that company or person has established. You can develop your personal and professional brands too as you consider how you can stand out in the workplace and in life. Through skits, assessments, and collaboration, you will become more aware of your personality, leadership style, and strengths. This will build the skills and character needed to develop your brand and successfully set yourself apart. You will finish the camp with a portfolio demonstrating your unique brand.

In this camp, you will create a full-fledged game prototype that will be published on a digital marketplace and critiqued by local game developers. Students are recommended to have experience in Unity or other game engines (or have attended the Game Art: Fundamentals in Character and World Development summer camp session). Working alone or within a team-based, collaborative setting, you’ll assume the roles of designer, programmer, and artist, discovering your talents, interests, and focus. Over the course of the camp, you will develop a game prototype, marketing materials and record footage for the title as part of a mini-Game Art portfolio

This session will cover the digital fabrication techniques that allow digital designs to be physically created at many scales. You will learn how to create a 3-D model that can be 3-D printed or robotically milled on a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) machine. You will work with instructors one-on-one to learn, design, and make your creations. The course will be supplemented by industry guest speakers and tours of local fabrication laboratories. You will gain an awareness of how these technologies are changing all disciplines of design.

Do you want to dive into robotics? If you are familiar with robots and have built one, have been involved in robotics competitions (like FIRST), or participated in the “Beginner Level” camp, this advanced level is for you. The goal of this camp is to help you acquire higher skills and expand your knowledge in robotics by designing, building and programming more sophisticated and autonomous robots. You will build an autonomous vehicle in a team, make the electronics, use various sensors, integrate them into your code, and learn how to program the robot to operate autonomously and deliver the desired goals. You will work in a team and have your robot compete in the last day of the camp. You then will receive all the required pieces to build your own robot at home. If you want to start learning about robotics, we recommend you attend Robotics Summer Camp I (Beginner Level) offered July 13-17.

Do you have a passion for science and technology? Do you wonder about technology’s possible effects on individuals and society? Combine your interest in science with your creative curiosity in this camp that offers the rare chance to work exclusively with science fiction across various forms of media. We will explore the founding principles of science fiction, read classic and modern stories, and view films central to the genre. Students will have the opportunity to brainstorm and storyboard their own sci-fi concepts, as well as record their own stories in a “radio play” reminiscent of Orson Welles’ classic broadcast of War of the Worlds. Whether you are new to science fiction or a longtime fan, this camp is for you!!