Motion Monday: Engineering Bootcamp a Success

Engineering Bootcamp a Success
By Eleanor Huddart, Markeitng Intern

Last week Bishop-Wisecarver participated as a sponsor with a booth set up at Diablo Valley College’s Science and Engineering Camp. This camp was geared towards high school students who are interested in engineering, manufacturing and construction. Bud Wisecarver, BWC’s founder and creator of the DualVee wheel, assisted the students with the assembly of robots and also gave a presentation to the camp participants about his background in engineering and how he came up with the idea for the DualVee wheels. He made sure all of the students knew how vital it is to do what they love for a living because if they do, "They will never work a day in their lives." [ Here's a bit more we wrote about the camp last week ]

The students who took part in the camp participated in a week full of fun and informative engineering-related events. Students assembled robots that were used in a competition with the goal of being the team to push the most tennis balls through a goal built using our tracks and also visited Hewitt Power Plant to learn more about solar energy and its applications. On the final day of the camp, the students were given the opportunity to participate in a career day. To help facilitate this event, a  few of us from the marketing team, along with Bud, set up a booth to answer the kids’ questions about linear and rotary guided motion technology and future careers in engineering. We also showcased a few of our products. The students had a lot of fun testing out our linear slide and rotary guide demos!

We interviewed some camp participants to get their feedback on why they wanted to learn more about engineering, what their favorite part of the camp was and what new skills they picked up over the week. We also probed them on their experiences of building the robots and participating in the robot race on the final day of the camp. Learn more from the students about how this amazing camp influenced them in this Q&A!

 What inspired you to learn more about engineering? 
Tyler S: My parents and brother have always been good at math and pushed me to focus on it. I’ve loved the camp and I have learned so much. I now know which area of engineering I want to focus on because of my experiences this week.
William N: I wanted to broaden my knowledge so I could do a double major in college that involves Mechanical Engineering. In the future I want to be able to build cars.

Which camp activity have you enjoyed participating in the most and why?
Tyler S: I enjoyed the Hewitt power plant and tour. It gave me insight into what types of alternative sources of energy exist and how society can use them.
William N: I enjoyed the robotics competition. It was interesting to work with my associates in a group project that helped us learn more about robotics.

Had you built, worked with or studied robotics before this week? If so, what did you know about robots?
Christian D: I had not worked with robots before this week. We learned how to put all of the pieces together and Mr. Bud helped us build the robot and gave us ideas and strategies to follow.  He was really smart and a good helper.

What new skills have you picked up this week?
Christian D: I learned a few different skills … one of them was critical thinking. We came up with making a scoop and attaching it to the end of the robot to move the balls through the net. Collaboration with other teammates and communicating with them was important. We worked hard to make a strong team. One more skill was be professional and always be a role model for everybody.

THE CHALLENGE OK, now for a little #MotionMonday challenge to wake up your brain! Scan what you just read one more time, then try your hand at our weekly word search! Need an answer key? Just hit up Jenn at jenniferw@bwc.com for your shot at winning a prize! [ Download ] and good luck!