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Beacon Engineering Academy

The 2026 camp for current 9th – 11th graders will be held on June 21 – 27, 2026.

Applications will close on May 3

Explore Engineering This Summer at Valpo

Valpo’s Beacon Engineering Academy is a weeklong summer experience designed for high schoolers. Campers explore different engineering disciplines through hands-on projects, engaging with Valpo faculty and student mentors. Whether you choose the full overnight or day camp, you’ll gain real engineering insight, build new friendships, and get a taste of college life on Valpo’s vibrant campus.

Beacon Engineering Academy

Camp Details

The 2026 camp is for current 9th – 11th graders. Applications will close on May 3.

Overnight Camp (June 21 – 27): $800

Day Camp (June 22 – 26): $400

apply now

Beacon Engineering Academy

About

This one-week summer camp lets high school students explore engineering through projects and and activities with Valpo professors.

Campers work hand in hand with Valpo professors and undergraduate students to learn about engineering by day. For overnight participants, campers engage in social events led by Valpo undergraduate engineering students.

Beacon Engineering Academy

What types of activities and projects are offered?

Camp Experience Breakdown

The core of the camp is split into four components: Engineering Exploration, Engineering Skills, Week-Long Engineering Project, and Social Activities.

The Engineering Exploration activities provide students an opportunity to explore a wide array of engineering topics including sustainable engineering, ultrasonic flow, water filtration, 3D printing, materials science, solar energy, and more!

The Engineering Skills activities provide an opportunity for students to develop relevant engineering skills such as computer aided design (CAD), programming, soldering, and more.

The Week-Long Engineering projects are large scale engineering projects where the campers will work in groups to tackle a challenging engineering problem. It will provide an opportunity for the campers to learn about a specific area of interest in engineering as they build their engineering device.

Prosthetics and Haptics Project

Learn about biomechanics and biosensors and how we can design and build prosthetic and haptic devices!

Aerospace Mission Design Project

Learn about space, satellites, and high-altitude systems and mission design.  Design and fly a balloon payload to collect telemetry data and verify its predicted performance with the actual trajectory.  Send commands to and analyze the responses from Valpo’s BCON-2 satellite that will be in orbit.

AI Smart Bridge Design Project

Explore the world of intelligent infrastructure by designing, building, and load testing your own bridges and learning how to detect damage and hazardous conditions using Artificial Intelligence methods and sensor systems! 

Beacon Engineering Academy

What can you expect day-to-day?

Though this is not the exact schedule for each day, this is roughly what you could expect as a camper. There are plenty of opportunities to explore interesting topics in engineering, work on your week-long engineering project, and socialize with your fellow campers and counselors!

TimelineActivity
8:30 amBreakfast and Morning Activity. Day campers arrive.
9:00 amEngineering Exploration  and Skills Activities. 1 hour activities led by faculty for campers to learn about different areas of engineering!
11:30 amLunch
12:30 pmProject work time. This time is dedicated to completing your week-long project. It will be split into time for lessons to learn the necessary skills to accomplish your project and work time.
5:15 pmDinner and after hours activities for our overnight campers with the counselors! Day campers depart.

Beacon Engineering Academy

Application

Eligibility
  • The camp is open to current 9th, 10th, and 11th graders
  • Campers are encouraged to have completed physics or chemistry by the summer

How to apply

Applications can be submitted here. We will begin evaluating applications after January 15. Applications will close on May 3.

Scholarships

A limited number of partial scholarships are available for campers who meet one of the below criteria.

  • The camper will be the first among their immediate family members to earn a degree from a 4-year college or university.
  • The camper demonstrates financial need based on household income.

Contact Dr. Jesse Sestito by email at  to inquire.

Start and end times

Overnight Campers

The camp will run from Sunday, June 21 to Saturday, June 27 for overnight campers. Sunday camper drop-off is currently scheduled from 1:30 – 2:30 pm and Saturday camper pick-up is currently scheduled for 8 – 9 am. Individual drop-off and pick-up times can be adjusted for special cases.

Day Campers

The camp will run from Monday, June 22 to Friday, June 26 for day campers. Drop-off will be at 8:30 am each day. Pick-up will be at 5:15 pm each day.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding the camp, feel free to reach out to Dr. Jesse Sestito by email at

engineering.camp@valpo.edu