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Southeast Texas high school juniors and seniors got a hands-on introduction to chemical engineering during ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ’s annual ChemE Camp, a week-long day camp designed to inspire the next generation of engineers through industry tours, lab activities and the fan-favorite ChemE Car competition.

The camp, which introduces students to chemical engineering principles and careers, was supported this year by sponsors ASL, Valero, and AICG.

“We love putting on ChemE Camp, and we couldn’t do it without our amazing sponsors,” Dr. Benson, interim dean of the college of engineering said. “This year, we had support from ASL, Valero, and AICG for the ChemE Car. We’re also incredibly grateful to all the staff, especially Gina, and all the camp counselors who make this possible. We truly couldn’t do it without them.”

Led by ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ faculty, staff and student mentors, campers explored the basics of chemical engineering through team-based challenges, guided experiments, and site visits to local industry facilities.

“My favorite part of ChemE Camp was probably when we visited BASF, and I really got a chance to understand why they do outreach,” Kolbi Coleman, a second-year counselor and camp leader said. “Seeing the smiles on kids’ faces, hearing their questions, and watching them grow more curious about chemical engineering. It was really fun. I think that’s the best part: seeing other kids be inspired by the people around them.”

Coleman said her role involved helping guide the campers through activities, including the ChemE Car project.

“My role is camp leader, since this is my second year with ChemE Camp,” she said. “I’m more familiar with everything we do, so I’ve really enjoyed stepping into that leadership role. I mostly helped facilitate the activities, especially guiding everyone through the ChemE Car process and making sure we stayed on track.”

Counselor Maddie Nortman said the ChemE Car was a key tool in showing students just how broad the field can be.

“For me, it was important to feel like I could inspire the kids to consider chemical engineering, not just assume that mechanical is the only path for them,” Nortman said. “With ChemE Car, they got to see how many different aspects there are to chemical engineering, like coding, wiring, chemical reactions, and building. It showed them that there’s something for everyone and hopefully helped them find what they enjoy in chemical engineering or any other engineering field they might pursue in the future.”

Camp counselor Clarabelle Tran helped lead the ChemE Car portion, a competitive challenge where students work in teams to power a small car using an iodine clock reaction. Each day, teams were given a specific distance, between 15 to 30 meters, and tasked with adjusting their chemical formula so the car would stop as close to the line as possible.

“They win by getting their car to stop as close to the target line as possible,” Tran said. “If the car goes past the line or doesn’t make it all the way, we measure the distance from the front of the car to the line. The closest one wins.”

ChemE Camp is open to high school students entering their junior or senior year who have successfully completed chemistry and Algebra II.

The camp is made possible through the combined efforts of ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ’s faculty, student leaders, generous sponsors, and industry partners who are committed to shaping the future of engineering.

To lean more about K-12 opportunities at the College of Engineering, visit /engineering/k-12-programs/index.html.