Students testing variables that impact energy production in a wind
power session.
Image credit - Kennedy Lambert
GVSU camp teaches students about benefits of renewable energy
Jun 25, 2018
Students testing the energy required of various devices in the Energy
Exploration session.
Image credit - Kennedy Lambert
Campers touring Grand Valley's Sustainable Agriculture Project.
Image credit - Kennedy Lambert
Campers showcasing their solutions to the question, "How might we
make our homes more energy independent?" These campers created a
sustainable farm home complete with a solar oven, compost pile and rain barrels.
Image credit - Benjamin Hunt
These students built a sustainable city for their final camp project.
The home is powered by wind energy, solar panels and hydropower.
Image credit - Benjamin Hunt
A team of students answered the question of how to make a home more
energy independent by creating a model of a house completely powered by
solar panels.
Image credit - Benjamin Hunt
Fifty students from 28 local middle schools learned about the benefits of renewable energy and how that form of energy impacts the environment during Grand Valley’s Energizing Our World summer camp. The three-day, interactive outreach camp took place on the Allendale Campus June 18-21.
During the camp, facilitated by Grand Valley’s Regional Math and Science Center (RMSC), students participated in various sessions where they engaged in hands-on STEM activities to learn about solar, wind and hydropower. The lessons highlighted the benefits of renewable energy, best sustainable practices and the applications of renewable energy in various fields of study.
“This camp allows students to see how multiple pieces fit together into the bigger puzzle of solutions to authentic problems,” said Chelsea Ridge, RMSC mathematics program coordinator. “We are working with a generation of students who may actually see 100 percent renewable energy, and a generation that cares deeply about sustainability. To connect them to an experience this rich is to provide them a window into their future.”
This year, students also worked together to answer the question: “How might we make our homes more energy independent?” During multiple interactive sessions, students utilized the design thinking process through guidance from Grand Valley faculty and advisors from the Design Thinking Academy to frame possible solutions to that question. Campers then developed and tested prototypes that were showcased in the Kirkhof Center on the final day of the camp.
New to this year’s camp, students also visited the Holland Energy Park and participated in a career fair where local business leaders shared how they incorporate renewable energy into their work. Businesses showcased during the career fair included Grand Valley's Office of Sustainability, Blue Ocean Concepts, Chart House Energy, Cocoa, Consumers Energy, Green Giftz, Steelcase and Holland Energy Park.
Sponsors for this year’s camp included the Michigan Space Grant Consortium, Consumers Energy and AcenTek.
For more information about the Regional Math and Science Center, visit gvsu.edu/rmsc.
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