Sweet Briar offers two chances to Explore Engineering this summer

Sweet Briar student Maggie Groetsch ’22 works on an environmental engineering project at the Lower Lake on campus.


High school girls interested in engineering will have two chances to delve into the field this summer — right on the beautiful campus of Sweet Briar College, one of two U.S. women’s colleges with an ABET-accredited engineering program. A Summer Explore Environmental Engineering Weekend happens June 22-23, while the weeklong Summer Explore Engineering Design Course takes place July 21-26. The weeklong course offers college credit. Both events are suitable for experienced students and those new to engineering.

The cost for the weekend event is $65 and includes room and board, snacks, supplies and a T-shirt. Register here by June 7 for highest priority. Space is limited. Registration occurs on a rolling basis until the course is full. The event will have an environmental engineering focus, with students both out on the land and inside the lab using sensors to collect and analyze environmental data.

Students attending the weeklong course will design and build a computer-controlled interactive art project, meet successful young women engineers, tour a local engineering facility and participate in other fun extracurriculars. The weeklong course is $950, which includes tuition, meals and accommodation in a residence hall, snacks, course supplies and a T-shirt. A non-refundable $200 deposit is due at registration. Register here by July 1 for highest priority. Space is limited. Registration occurs on a rolling basis until the course is full. Only fully paid course registrations reserve your student’s seat; unpaid registrations are put on a waiting list until payment is received. Cancellations received before June 1 will be refunded in full minus the deposit. Cancellations received on or after June 1 will not be refunded.

A limited number of scholarships are available for students interested in participating in the Summer Explore Engineering Design Course but who have significant financial need. Scholarships are awarded at $475. Click here to apply.


Students use a drill to wind an electromagnet for their project during the Summer 2018 Explore Engineering Design Course.


Explore Engineering is a series of immersive engineering design courses for high school sophomore, junior and senior girls. Weekend events are offered in the spring and fall, and a weeklong pre-college, for-credit course is offered in the summer.

Working in teams with Sweet Briar engineering faculty and undergraduate engineering students, high schoolers work on creative and fun design projects that are perfect for both experienced students and those completely new to engineering. Participants learn the design process from brainstorming to testing and revising prototypes, experience problem-solving as an engineer, and make their designs a reality. Outside of class, students stay in one of our historic residence halls with engineering student mentors, explore the many amenities of our beautiful campus, and get a taste of life as a college student.

Over the past 10 years, more than 500 students have attended an Explore Engineering event, designing and building such things as computer-controlled smart wearables, automated musical devices, sustainable building materials, automatically refilling pet bowls, electromechanical drawing machines and optical bass guitars.

For more information, visit sbc.edu/explore or contact Rebecca Girten at 434-381-6447 or rgirten@sbc.edu.