This course uses immersive hands-on approaches to connect engineering design and materials science with the scientific process of discovery and development, and to the practical real-world constraints that determine whether ideas succeed, such as feasibility, durability, efficiency, sustainability, safety, and cost. Students will learn to translate observations about problems and ideas into well-framed engineering problems and then build toward a functional solution through structured prototyping cycles.

A defining feature of the course is that students don’t just build. In this course they learn to think like scientists and engineers and to translate their creations into products as entrepreneurs. Teams form hypotheses about what will improve their designs, run controlled tests, collect measurements, and use evidence to choose between design options. A hands-on materials component builds intuition about processes and materials through simple but rigorous comparative tests, such as stiffness/deflection, impact resistance, friction/wear, and basic process testing, helping students justify design and material choices and understand tradeoffs. The overall experience is designed to include a minimum of 40% hands-on requirement, with daily build-and-test sessions.

Entrepreneurship is integrated in a practical way. Students learn how to craft a clear value proposition, compare alternatives, estimate rough costs, and use user feedback as actionable data to update requirements. This keeps their engineering grounded in reality and strengthens the incentive for quality work where the prototypes are designed not only to work, but to matter to a user and be possible to make.  Communication is treated as an engineering skill where students document decisions and defend claims with evidence, not assumptions or hype.

Week 1

Discovery, Materials, Design, First Working Prototype

• Students start by learning to spot real problems worth solving, then build fast, rough prototypes and mockups to learn by doing and get quick feedback. 

• They develop “material intuitions” by running simple hands-on materials tests (strength/stiffness, friction/wear, impact), logging measurements, and beginning a product dossier. 

• Teams will generate lots of ideas, narrow options using a simple scoring process, and build two competing concept prototypes to compare with quick tests and evidence-based decisions.

• Next, teams convert their best idea into measurable requirements, build a first functional prototype (v1), and run an initial test. 

• A workshop intro session is added during the week for safety, orientation, and tool demos, so students understand more about what is feasible and what materials can be used. 

Week 2

Iterate, Validate, and Pitch

• Students shift into engineering cycles to identify how designs fail, improve durability, and build a stronger v2 while starting user testing. 

• They then compare v1 vs v2 using test data, optimize a critical performance metric, and draft a lifecycle analysis that captures key sustainability and durability tradeoffs. 

• The final phase is a build-and-document sprint: teams finalize prototypes, assemble a polished Technical Design Dossier with requirements, diagrams,  tests, and iteration history, and run a final validation checklist. 

The course ends with a showcase where teams demo their prototype and deliver a concise founder-style pitch grounded in evidence, feasibility, and next steps.

What does it take to build a future in STEM? This two-week precollege program, led by Dr. Ansley Booker of Dartmouth NEXT, invites students to explore the wide range of careers and pathways in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Through engaging seminars, hands-on workshops, and behind-the-scenes field trips, students will experience Dartmouth’s cutting-edge labs, medical centers, sustainability initiatives, and makerspaces. Along the way, they’ll learn from Dartmouth faculty, researchers, and alumni who are pushing the boundaries of innovation in medicine, engineering, data science, and beyond.
The program goes beyond exposure—it provides a roadmap. Students will gain practical tools for career readiness, from understanding the steps toward graduate school or research opportunities to connecting with mentors and building a professional network. The experience culminates in a closing symposium where each student presents a personalized “STEM Futures Pathway Plan,” reflecting the insights and inspiration gathered throughout the program. By the end of the two weeks, participants will not only discover what’s possible in STEM but also envision their own next steps with clarity and confidence.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify a wide range of STEM disciplines and career pathways through exposure to Dartmouth faculty, researchers, and alumni.
• Explain the steps involved in pursuing STEM careers, including higher education pathways, research opportunities, and professional development strategies.
• Engage with cutting-edge STEM research and innovation in fields such as medicine, engineering, sustainability, and data science.
• Develop foundational skills for career readiness, including networking, mentorship-seeking, and effective communication of personal goals.
• Reflect on their own interests and strengths to envision a personalized trajectory within STEM fields.
• Create a “STEM Futures Pathway Plan” that integrates academic exploration, career goals, and actionable next steps.

Tangible Outcomes

• Reflective Journaling: Capture daily insights and track evolving career interests, forming the foundation for the final project.
• Closing Symposium: Present a personalized “STEM Futures Pathway Plan” to peers and faculty, articulating both inspiration gained and concrete next steps.

Hands-On Activities

To achieve these outcomes, students will:

• Seminar Sessions: Participate in interactive talks led by Dartmouth faculty, alumni, and guest experts on STEM careers, innovations, and emerging fields.
• Hands-On Workshops: Experiment in makerspaces, medical labs, and sustainability centers, engaging directly with tools and techniques used by STEM professionals.
• Field Trips & Site Visits: Go behind the scenes at Dartmouth labs, research centers, and innovation hubs to observe cutting-edge science in action.
• Career Pathway Panels: Hear from alumni and professionals who represent diverse trajectories in STEM, followed by Q&A networking opportunities.
• Mentorship Activities: Pair with Dartmouth graduate students or researchers for guided conversations about academic and career journeys.
• Skill-Building Sessions: Learn practical skills in resume building, science communication, and how to prepare for college-level research.

Course Description

This interdisciplinary course introduces students to the technologies, ethical questions, and policy decisions shaping the transition toward a more sustainable future. Through perspectives from climate science, engineering, economics, philosophy, medicine, and public policy, students explore practical solutions for reducing carbon emissions at both the individual and societal levels.

Participants calculate their own carbon footprints, analyze environmental data, debate climate policy, and investigate renewable energy technologies through case studies and collaborative projects. Throughout the course, students examine how scientific innovation, public policy, and individual action intersect to create meaningful environmental change while developing evidence-based strategies for decarbonization.

By the end of the course, students will understand both the complexity of climate challenges and the opportunities available to future leaders working toward a more sustainable world.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze personal and societal sources of carbon emissions using scientific evidence.
• Evaluate renewable energy technologies and strategies for decarbonization.
• Interpret environmental data related to climate change, air quality, and sustainability.
• Examine ethical, economic, and policy perspectives surrounding climate action.
• Design evidence-based strategies that promote sustainability at local and global scales.
• Communicate environmental solutions through research, discussion, and collaborative presentations.

Course Description

For two weeks, the class will work as an engineering consulting firm to address one client request: design a clean, reliable, and affordable energy plan for a town. Students will form four teams, each responsible for one of four subsystems, demand, supply, reliability & storage, and mobility, and the teams must make their designs work together. Using real data and energy systems models built in spreadsheets (with optional Python), students explore real questions engineers face. How much power does a town need hour by hour? What mixes of solar, wind, fossil fuels, and batteries keep the lights on? What happens during a heat wave or a natural disaster? A short lecture each day will introduce concepts that scaffold to each team's design tasks, and the rest of the day will be dedicated to guided group work.

The course is grounded in the real-world energy transition. Students will tour energy infrastructure on campus, hear from practicing engineers, and use what they learn to shape their models. Daily cross-team check-ins will demonstrate show how one change can ripple through the system. Students will stress-test their plan against outages and affordability metrics, learning how energy systems planning serves real people. The course will end with the class presenting one integrated plan to a panel of guests.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, participants will:

• Explain how an energy system works, from generation through delivery to end use.
• Build and test simple models to size and compare energy technologies using real data.
• Evaluate tradeoffs among cost, reliability, emissions, and fairness, and show how model assumptions change results.
• Collaborate in an hybrid team to integrate separate subsystem designs into one coherent plan.
• Communicate technical findings clearly to a non-technical audience.