STEMVillage Summer Camp – Week 1, Day 3 Highlights

Day 3 of STEMVillage Summer Camp brought a new set of hands-on activities focused on the engineering challenges we face in the real world—and how nature often holds the key to solving them.

We started with a deep dive into bridge building, where campers explored the concept of structural integrity by constructing their own bridges using everyday materials. They quickly discovered the power of the triangle in creating strong, stable structures and learned how real-life civil engineers use these shapes to build the bridges we drive across every day. Through testing and redesigning, campers worked in teams to build bridges that could hold up to 49.2 newtons.

Next, campers turned their attention to a critical global challenge: clean water. In our water filtration lab, students built working filters using sand, gravel, charcoal, and other materials, simulating the basic processes of filtration and bacterial removal. They gained a better understanding of how water is purified and why engineering solutions are essential for safe drinking water around the world.

We ended the day with a creative, nature-inspired challenge: designing bird feeders. Through this activity, campers were introduced to biomimicry—the idea that engineers often take cues from the natural world. A favorite example was the Japanese bullet train, which mimics the shape of a kingfisher’s beak to reduce noise and increase speed. As campers assembled their feeders, they reflected on how even the most advanced technology is sometimes rooted in something as simple as a bird’s flight. Check back tomorrow for more highlights as we head into Day 4!