Tufts Pre-College: Engineering Design Lab

This two-week Engineering Design Lab (EDL) course at Tufts University will expose students (entering grades 10-12) to engineering, fabrication, robotics, and computation in the context of solving real world problems. This program will meet for 2 sessions, and students can choose the one that is more conveniently scheduled for them.

Students will participate daily in lecture-based learning on the following topics:

• Engineering in the World: these lectures will be offered daily throughout the program to introduce students to the wide variety of engineering disciplines in the context of real world challenges and solutions. You will hear from a selection of Tufts faculty and guest speakers as they help you better understand and contextualize the many pathways and fields of engineering. 
• Engineering / Robotics Guest Speakers: Each day, students will hear from a carefully curated selection of guest speakers from among our wide network of faculty, students, industry partners on special topics related to engineering, robotics, design, and more. These speakers will cover a wide-range of topics, including careers, studying engineering, research, and developments happening within their labs/research groups, as well as issues and problems they face in the real world that connect to robotics and engineering.

In Week 1, the focus will be on developing engineering skills within the context of daily challenges focusing on the following areas:

• Robotics: interactive with sensors and motors as well as algorithmic processing of controlling robotic platforms.
• Computation: an introduction to Python followed by exposure to several higher level concepts and applications, such as image processing, Internet of Things, and leveraging external cloud-based services (for AI/other applications).

In Week 2, we will explore additional concepts in artificial intelligence, image processing and Internet of Things (IoT) as students begin to focus on their seminal engineering design projects. Students will work in small groups to choose from a selection of real world needs/problems, research relevant criteria and constraints, and then design, prototype, and test technical solutions to those problems. At the end of the session, students will present their prototype and develop a portfolio submission.

During both daily challenges and project work time, students will work either independently or in small group ‘workrooms’ that will allow students to engage with one another and their Classroom Assistants as they work. This working time is on the schedule, but students and groups may decide to move their times as they choose, so long as all participants agree. The office hours for Classroom Assistants has been noted on the schedule.

Closing Event: Project Showcase

One of the highlights of our program is the opportunity for small student groups to work together to crerate and design engineering solutions to real world issues and obstacles. At the end of the summer, all of our groups will display their final projects at a Project Showcase with the opportunity to explain their design and how it solves a real world challenge. All groups will have post their code and a video of their working prototypes for the event and students will have the opportunity to answer the questions of their peers and instructional staff too! Friends and family are welcome to view all designs and participate in the discussion!

Program Fee: 

Commuter Students - $4,000 + $200 in materials
Residential Students - $5,500 + $200 in materials

• Includes: all program activities, various materials for use in skills-building activities, opening/closing events, and daily activities.
• Excludes: anything not explicitly stated above.

A Non-Refundable Program Deposit will be collected to reserve your spot.

• A pre-payment on program fees is required to reserve space in the program
• This deposit will be applied toward program fees and is not an additional fee
• The balance of payment for program fees is due upon notification of charges, and no later than May 15
• This deposit is non-refundable in the event of withdrawal from the program

Limited scholarships are available 

Application Deadline: May 1, 2022