A Long Way Down Engineering Camp starts with a success

The fourth- and fifth-grade science camp A Long Way Down started Tuesday after school. Students gather this week to learn and experiment with ways to design parachutes and to think as aerospace engineers.

Washington County Extension partnered with Lincoln Elementary School to host this four-day science camp. They are one of more than 800 schools and community organizations to participate in the STEM scale-up programs during the 2013-14 school year.

Students started the camp by brainstorming what all engineers do and what specific challenges and goals aerospace engineers might have. Special guest and aerospace engineer Keth Houseal "Skyped" with the group sharing about his job. He is a graduate of Mid-Prairie High School and an aerospace-engineer graduate from Iowa State University. He shared with the students some of his experiences working on commercial and military aircraft.

Instructors Nancy Clawson and Julie Timmins are leading the Engineering is Elementary curriculum for aerospace engineering. After only the first night of camp Nancy Clawson commented, ?I?m impressed with how much prior knowledge the kids have on this topic.?

The Long Way Down science camp will continue this week after school at Lincoln Elementary. For more information on the camp or other science opportunities for youth, contact the Washington County Extension Office at 319-653-4811.