UNH TechVenturers Micro-Internship 2

UNH TechVenturers offer several different projects including the following:

Bridge Project: How many times a week do you walk or drive over a bridge? How difficult would it be for you to access things like school, stores, or even your friends and family if bridges were not safe and reliable? Bridges are a critical piece of infrastructure that we often take for granted, but without them, life as we know it would look very different! Students in this program will design and model a bridge to meet the specific needs of a New Hampshire community. Activities will include testing engineering materials and analyzing data to determine optimal materials; discovering the physics behind existing New Hampshire bridges; and exploring the interaction between bridges and their surrounding environments. Campers will serve as the civil engineer in charge. Let the challenge begin!

The Internet of Things: Have you ever wondered how Bluetooth technology works? Or how you can switch on a lightbulb from miles away from home using your phone? The answer lies in this week-long exploration of the Internet of Things (IoT)! IoT describes the network of physical objects— “things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet. These devices range from ordinary household objects to sophisticated industrial tools. In this program, campers will build an IoT system and familiarize themselves with sensor data reading, wireless data transmission, and actuator control. Activities will include IoT system design with sensors, actuators, pressure sensors, and relays; printed circuit board (PCB) design and manufacture; exploring the use of advanced fabric-based sensing and conductive materials for wearable IoT system design; and wireless data transmission with Bluetooth. Come learn about one of the most important and ubiquitous technologies of the 21st century!

Forensics Project: Welcome detectives! In this program, we have a high-priority case to solve — a cold case from 30 years ago. We’ve compiled what evidence is left from a murder that took place in the town of Bedrock. Two seemingly close friends and their husbands are involved. Fred Flintstone was found dead in his house and we need to find out what happened! We’ll be using techniques such as blood stain analysis, hair fiber analysis, fingerprinting and a little bit of criminal psychology to crack this case!

RC Cars Project: Trail to Track – In this fast-paced program, campers will be using professional-grade off-road RC crawler trucks and drift cars to explore remote control engineering, design and usage. We will build routes, bridges, balancers, and more to challenge the drivers with their trucks. Problem-solving and creative thinking are emphasized. We will be using the RC trucks to rock, dirt, river, and mud climb our way out of tricky paths and challenges. In the afternoon, campers will take their skills to the road to practice driving on-road RC drift cars in a fun, but challenging course; the techniques of throttle control and tandems will be explored. This program will also teach students how to tune and care for RC vehicles using various tools and accessories. Come join the fun!

Regenerative Medicine: The Planaria Project – Scientists are beginning to understand how to grow parts of the human body by studying organisms that already have this ability, such as the planaria. Planaria are free-living flatworms that can regrow any lost body part. Students in this program will learn about regenerative medicine and planaria through a variety of hands-on activities in the lab. They will also design and perform an experiment that will determine the environmental factors that influence the ability of planaria to regrow missing body parts.
Virtual Reality Game Design Project – Want to change the world? Let’s build one of your very own! Using an online toolkit, students in this program will create games, escape rooms and interactive stories that others can interact with and experience. Participants will learn how to code/create/test virtual worlds and how virtual and augmented reality is being used in the world today.

Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity plays a key role in modern information techniques. It is critical to protect users and organizations from attacks such as ransomware, phishing, password cracking, and physical tampering. Campers will be exposed to the fundamental mindset of cybersecurity, some coding styles in software, and hardware debugging skills. In this program, campers will get their hands dirty with a variety of cyber-attack/defense exercises, games, practices, and competitions. All backgrounds and levels are welcome to attend!
Hack the Tracks! – The UNH InterOperability Lab will be hosting this exciting program designed to teach aspiring engineers basic programming skills, computer networking, and electrical engineering. Throughout the week, campers will build and then “hack” into a simulated city’s communications and transportation systems, all while learning cybersecurity skills and using concepts taught in introductory engineering classes. There will be a variety of puzzles used to access and may include control of the city’s train, including bridge & light control, circuit construction and more! All skill levels are invited to participate.