Sixteen high school students from Kansas and Missouri took part in the first KU Survivor: Engineering Outback, coordinated by the Kansas University School of Engineering from July 22 to July 23.

The 19-hour overnight boys-only camp introduced the students to several fields of engineering and let them participate in hands-on activities that related to each topic.

The students – all sophomores, juniors and seniors – learned about Global Positioning System technology and then used GPS handsets to take a geocaching tour of KU and visit key buildings and landmarks. Geocaching is an activity similar to treasure hunting, where participants use GPS handsets to locate hidden items.

The students also learned about mechanical engineering principles and then saw those principles in action as they scaled the rock-climbing wall in the KU Student Recreation Center. These and other activities were designed to get the students thinking about possible career opportunities, as well as the way engineers influence the world around them.

Other topics and activities covered during the camp:

¢ The aerosphere; students were able to operate KU’s wind tunnel

¢ Engineering ethics; a review of what led to the disastrous 1981 collapse of a walkway in the Kansas City Hyatt hotel

¢ Structural engineering; tours of the KU Memorial Stadium press box and Allen Fieldhouse.