ECU hosts middle school students for renewable energy STEM camp
Macy Stoneham reacts as a light powered by a solar panel comes on during the College of Engineering and Technology’s Renewable Energy and Green Manufacturing Summer STEM Camp at ECU.
(Photos by Ken Buday)
Just enough wind blew to make the color-laden blades on the whirligig rotate, creating a fun environment for about 20 students attending the College of Engineering and Technology’s Renewable Energy and Green Manufacturing Summer STEM Camp at East Carolina University.
The middle schoolers had taken a field trip to the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum in Wilson to see how wind can be a source of energy — and fun, with blades spinning and rotating on the tall, artistic pieces that make up the park.
“There are so many things here. It’s really cool to look at,” camper Taniya Yancey said.
The two-week camp focused on renewable energy sources including solar, wind and water. The students had classroom instruction and lab time in which they built their own wind turbines, but they also went on field trips that included the steam plant that helps supply power to ECU, a solar farm and Hyster-Yale in Greenville.
“It’s fun. I really like it,” Yancey said of the camp.
Left, Taniya Yancey, 15, takes a look around the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum. Right, Aaditya Karnekar checks a panel for signs of electrical activity generated through a solar panel as partner Cassidy Jagde looks on.
Though the whirligigs are designed for fun, Dr. Ranjeet Agarwala, lead instructor for the camp, said they provide serious lessons about how even slight breezes can turn blades that can help generate power.
“What they’re learning and why it’s important is because one day these sources of energy we use are going to be depleted,” Agarwala said of energy sources such as oil and coal. “They need to learn about renewable energy sources. That’s why it’s important.”
Jeff Bell, executive director of the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum in Wilson, speaks to the students.
One lab lesson provided the campers solar energy kits. They experimented with various connections in attempts to power light bulbs through solar panels. Sometimes they failed, but they didn’t quit, trying until they found success.
During the camp, the students created posters about what they had learned.
“I’ve learned a lot about solar panels and wind energy and how it works,” student Saria Tripp said.
She said she did not know a lot about renewable energy sources when the camp began.
“Now I know a lot more about it,” Tripp said.
Agarwala is an affiliated faculty member of ECU’s Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering within the College of Engineering and Technology. The center focuses on collaborative research in areas of sustainable energy and ecological systems, and also partners with industries and organizations in North Carolina on a variety of sustainability issues.
Money for the camp came from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
Middle school students pose for a picture at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum.
—by Ken Buday, University Communications