CRANE – Ivy Tech Community College’s Bloomington campus partnered with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) to offer a STEM summer camp for teens focused on entrepreneurship.
The one-week camp started on June 12 at the WestGate Academy Conference and Training Center at Crane Technology Park in Daviess County, Ind. Campers in grades seven through 10 learned about patented technologies from NSWC Crane and designed new products incorporating them. In teams, they built prototypes and pitched their new product ideas to judges in a “Shark Tank” style competition.
Campers learned to use CAD drawing and 3D printing tools and also how to build electrical circuits using Arduino technologies.
Ivy Tech representatives from the Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship worked with campers to craft business pitches and market their products. On the last day of camp, they pitched their ideas to a panel of judges including the NSWC Crane inventors of the patented technologies and a patent attorney.
The camp was hosted in partnership by the NSWC Crane STEM program, NSWC Crane Technology Transfer Office, and Ivy Tech’s Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship.
NSWC Crane’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program hosts summer camps each year to interest students in technology. The partnership with Ivy Tech fulfills the goals of both NSWC Crane and Ivy Tech by introducing students to future career paths and creating potential future economic growth.
About the Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship
The Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship (ivytech.edu/entrepreneurship) at Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus was established in 2010 to develop and implement practical tools and resources for students, individuals, and the community to foster entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech-Bloomington and in the broader economic development region it serves.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering associate degrees, long- and short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns with the needs of the community. The College provides a seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a bachelor's degree.
