Middle School Students from da Vinci Camp visit the PEER & nees@berkeley Labs

Eight students, from under-represented groups in engineering, toured the PEER and nees@berkeley laboratories on Thursday June 23, 2011 as a part of their experience in the da Vinci Camp 2011 Summer Institute. The da Vinci Camp Summer Institute is a three-week residential program designed specifically for academically talented and highly motivated middle school students (entering 6th, 7th and 8th grades). The Camp is taught by Cal, MIT, Stanford and Caltech alumni, and offers a fast-paced academic enrichment environment for young students to pursue their intellectual curiosity and meet others who share their interests and abilities.

At the PEER and nees@berkeley laboratories, the students learned how experimental testing is conducted with the equipment in the labs, experienced the large-scale shaking table in action, and participated in a K’NEX building activity where the were able to design their own structures and test them on a small scale shaking table.

One of the instructors for the daVinci Camp, Leonardo Torres, was enthusiastic about the experience at the labs: “Thanks again for the great tour and activity you put on for the kids. I appreciate your time and the kids really enjoyed it. The topics discussed were very appropriate to pique their interest in engineering and earthquakes.”

For more about the labs, PEER’s earthquake simulator laboratory website.