SPARK Summer Program
We Are Proud To Announce A New Partnership With
The Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC)!
Through this partnership, we offer a "She Innovates" session daily that fosters creativity, leading up to a CIC Innovation Showcase.
About SPARK
SPARK is a summer camp for middle school girls interested in STEM, offering a unique, hands-on experience designed and delivered by current UConn undergraduate women studying engineering and science. With guidance from UConn women faculty and staff, as well as input from our corporate and non-profit partners, the program now benefits from a contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat—supported by the Maritime Industrial Base—to further enrich our curriculum with real-world maritime engineering insights. It includes:
1. One-part hands-on STEM learning
2. One-part women's empowerment
3. One-part creativity and innovation
engagement
4. One-part camp fun and community building
1. One-part hands-on STEM learning
2. One-part women's empowerment
3. One-part creativity and innovation engagement
4. One-part camp fun and community building
SPARK Program 2025
-- Empowering The Next Generation Of Women Engineers --
Eligibility: Must be a current 5th – 7th grade female student during the school year (rising 6-8th graders). Applicants who are not in the grade range but are interested in the program are encouraged to apply to be placed on the waiting list
Cost:
$995 per week for residential students*
$695 per week for day campers
*We highly encourage campers to stay with us in the dorms so that we can build community. Our housing is a single-sex dorm for our program.
Partial & Total Financial Aid Are Available
Deadline to Apply:
March 30, 2025: Early Bird Deadline (Secure your spot, but not guaranteed financial assistance)
April 17, 2025: Early Bird Decisions
April 20, 2025: Application and Early Bird Commitment Deadline
April 25, 2025: Decisions and Financial Aid Sent Out
May 5, 2025: Commitment and Acceptance of Financial Aid Deadline
For any questions, please contact engr-spark@uconn.edu
SPARK 2025 Weekly Programs
Session 1: Time Travel Through Tech!
June 21st - June 26th
Focus: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Material Science
What if you could design the next big app, control robots, or create technology that changes the world?
Technology is advancing fast! AI, virtual reality, and smart devices are everywhere. This week, you’ll get hands-on experience in coding, electronics, and engineering, just like the innovators behind the world’s biggest tech breakthroughs. By the end of the week, you won’t just use technology you’ll understand how to build it.
Perfect for girls who love gaming, creating, designing, and solving puzzles.
Future Career Connection: Tech is one of the highest-paying and fastest-growing fields. Learning these skills now can open doors to incredible opportunities.
Project Name: You are the Future! – Evolution of Tech Presentation
Project Description & Execution: Sparklers will take a journey through time to explore how the design process has shaped the way we create and build today. They’ll unconver the roots of innovation, learn how technologies like artificial intelligence work, and see how far we’ve come With teamwork, creativity, and hands-on challenges. Sparklers will step into the shoes of designers to build their own future.
Project Name: Build-a-Sketch
Project Description & Execution: Take a trip back in time to discover the magic behind classic games! In this hands-on adventure, Sparklers will explore how game creators used simple machines, clever designs, and a whole lot of creativity to bring their ideas to life without screens or coding. Using real materials and teamwork, they’ll build their own Etch-a-Sketch and see how imagination powered play before modern tech took over!
Project Name: The Scratch Arcade
Project Description & Execution: Travel through time and into the future of fun in this hands-on coding workshop! Sparklers will become game designers as they use Scratch, a fun, easy-to-learn platform to code and create their very own video games. With imagination and tech skills combined, they’ll bring their game ideas to life and experience how far technology has come in the world of play!
Learning Outcomes: Learn a Coding Language – Scratch
Project Name: Step Into Your Imagination Pt 1
Project Description & Execution: In this futuristic, hands-on coding workshop, Sparklers will become virtual world-builders! Using beginner-friendly tools, they’ll design their own 3D environments, just like the ones engineers and designers use in real-world careers. Virtual Reality isn’t just for games — it’s transforming how we learn, train, and create. Sparklers will tap into their creativity and tech skills to build immersive worlds while learning how imagination shapes the future of exploration and design.
Project Name: Step Into Your Imagination Pt.2
Project Description & Execution:
After designing their own 3D worlds, Sparklers will take their creativity to the next level by stepping inside the virtual environments they built! In this exciting follow-up experience, Sparklers will visit UConn’s cutting-edge OPIM Lab and use real VR headsets to explore their creations like true tech pioneers. From dream to digital reality, they’ll experience how the future of design, engineering, and exploration starts with their own imagination
Session 2: Engineering the Impossible!
June 28th - July 3rd
Focus: Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Robotics, Water-Related Innovations
Think engineering is just about math and buildings? Think again.
This week, you’ll design and build futuristic machines, tackle extreme engineering challenges, and explore how engineering helps solve major real-world problems like designing self-cleaning water systems, building floating cities, and creating underwater robots to explore the ocean. Whether it’s robotics, transportation, or cutting-edge inventions, you’ll be creating solutions for the future.
Perfect for girls who love hands-on projects, problem-solving, and dreaming big.
Future Career Connection: Engineers are shaping everything from climate solutions to AI-powered robotics.
Operation: Save our Planet!
Join us to use STEM skills to design solutions to navigate climate change, search and rescue, and make an impact.
This Week Is Sponsored By A Grant From The NAVY (Thanks, Dr. Lexi Hain!), And Has Several Financial Aid Fellowships Available!
Focus: Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Material Science, Aquatic Science
Project Name: Marble Rush!
Project Description & Execution: Think you can engineer the ultimate thrill ride? In this high-energy challenge, Sparklers will design and build their own roller coasters while learning how energy powers every twist, turn, and loop! By experimenting with potential and kinetic energy, they’ll discover what makes coasters speed up, slow down and deliver the ultimate fun. Get ready to defy gravity and engineer the impossible!
Project Name: Light up the Night!
Project Description & Execution: Get ready to spark some serious creativity! In this hands-on activity, Sparklers will build their very own LED light circuits and explore the science behind what makes them shine. As they dive into the world of energy transfer, they’ll also discover how temperature can affect how efficiently energy is used. It’s all about lighting the way with innovation and engineering the impossible, one glowing project at a time!
Project Name: Code & Jam Pt.1
Project Description & Execution: In this two-part engineering and technology challenge, Sparklers will become both coders and creators! First, they’ll use EarSketch to code their own digital music tracks, learning how engineers manipulate sound waves, frequencies, and timing using programming. Then, they’ll step into the role of a hardware engineer by building custom Bluetooth speakers to bring their creations to life.
Throughout the activity, Sparklers will explore how engineers design and optimize wave-based communication systems, the same technology that powers everything from wireless headphones to smart devices. They’ll gain practical experience in sound engineering, signal transmission, and real-world problem-solving.
Project Name: Code and Jam Pt.2
Project Description & Execution: Now it’s time to bring the music to life! After coding their own custom songs, Sparklers will roll up their sleeves and engineer their very own Bluetooth speakers to play their tracks out loud. In this hands-on experience, they’ll dive deeper into the science of sound, exploring how engineers design systems that send, receive, and amplify audio signals.
Through building, testing, and troubleshooting, Sparklers will uncover how wave transmission, signal flow, and speaker design come together to power the tech we use every day — from smartphones to sound systems. It’s innovation you can hear, powered by creativity, coding, and engineering know-how!
Project Name: Robo-Scuplt!
Project Description & Execution:
In this activity, sparklers will design and build their own small robots that move in creative ways. Using motors, sensors, and simple circuits, they will explore how robots work and bring their ideas to life. They’ll learn how to connect parts, make their robots move, and even respond to their surroundings. This fun, hands-on project introduces the basics of robotics and engineering in an exciting way!
Session 3: Healing of the Future!
July 6th- July 11th
Focus: Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering
What if you could help design a bionic hand or create materials that speed up healing?
Biomedical engineers are revolutionizing healthcare, inventing life-changing medical technology like robotic prosthetics, artificial organs, and smart bandages. This week, you’ll explore the exciting intersection of medicine, science, and engineering experimenting with real-world solutions that help people heal and thrive.
Perfect for girls who are interested in medicine, science, or creating technology that helps people.
Future Career Connection: The future of healthcare is technology-driven, and engineers are leading the way in medical breakthroughs.
Project Name: Germ Busters
Project Description & Execution: Gear up and get curious! It’s time to bust some germs! In this hands-on science adventure, Sparklers will dive into the hidden world of bacteria and viruses to discover how these tiny invaders work. Through fun experiments and exciting demonstrations, they’ll learn how germs spread, how our bodies fight back, and how science and technology are teaming up to create the cures of tomorrow. It’s all about using STEM to explore the future of health, healing, and super-smart solutions!
Project Name: Health Hackers: Using CRISPR to Understand Disease
Project Description & Execution: Get ready to dive into the world of DNA! In this hands-on activity, you’ll learn about chronic and acute diseases, and how scientists are using CRISPR technology to unlock the secrets of our genes. By exploring how gene editing can help fight these diseases, you’ll get a closer look at the powerful science behind curing and treating illnesses.
Project Name: Health Hackers: Using CRISPR to Understand Disease
Project Description & Execution: Get ready to crack the code of life! In this hands-on activity, Sparklers will explore the fascinating world of DNA and discover how scientists are using CRISPR, a powerful gene-editing tool—to better understand and fight disease. From chronic conditions to sudden illnesses, they’ll learn how editing our genes could one day help cure or prevent some of the biggest health challenges we face. It’s a deep dive into the future of medicine, where science meets hope and healing!
Project Name: Bionic Builders
Project Description & Execution: Step into the world of innovation and impact as Sparklers become bionic engineers! In this hands-on workshop, they’ll design and build their very own prosthetic prototypes while learning the real science behind how these life-changing devices help people move, heal, and thrive. From brainstorming to building, Sparklers will discover how engineering and empathy come together to create a better, more accessible future for all.
Project Name: Science Detectives
Project Description & Execution: It’s time to put your STEM skills to the test! In this thrilling, mystery-based challenge, Sparklers will become science detectives—using everything they’ve learned throughout the week to solve a high-stakes medical case. From decoding symptoms to analyzing clues, they’ll work together to crack the case, uncover the science behind the solution, and show just how powerful knowledge, teamwork, and future-focused thinking can be. The future of healing is in their hands!
Learning Outcomes: Measurements, data tables, image analysis
Why Spark?
• Hands-on projects – Girls won’t just learn; they’ll build, code, and experiment.
• Real-world applications – Each week connects to future career paths in STEM.
• Exciting, high-energy activities – Science and engineering have never been this fun.
SPARK Welcome and Orientation: June 9th, 6-7PM
Microsoft Teams Meeting Link: Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 272 315 455 134
Passcode: Pr3fZ6tV
For any questions, please contact engr-spark@uconn.edu
SPARK 2024 Schedule
Explore The Action World Of Famous Female Super Heroes & How They Keep Theirs Worlds Safe And Up To Code
Focus: Civil Engineering, Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
