The UVM/GIV Engineering

Today began with tours of the UVM campus for those who were awake. The rest of us got a late start and headed down to the bookstore for some mid-campus shopping. Next on the agenda was a scavenger hunt in Votey. The staff over there must hate us at this point.

Picking our teeth clean after lunch, we proceeded to project time, where the potato canon was firing. The Burlington Free Press sent down a team to cover our launches and eventually put us on the front page! Meanwhile, other groups where slaving away getting stuff done, be it robot construction/programming, stove crafting or building a windmill.

Later on we went to see some presentations in Votey about fruit flies and the space program as well as some about environmental research. Next a wonderous evening and hopefully sleep.

Day 3 turned out to be a very productive day. It was our first long project day, a day devoted to following up on the previous day's research and beginning more advanced implementation. By now we all knew the routine, college life isn't so hard to get used to.

Aside from burning stuff in the first iteration of our woodstoves, fragmenting our first aeronautical probes, completing our first windmills or spawning our baby robot, the day was moderately bland. Posters were starting to become a consideration, and the projects were moving at a nice pace. The night life began to pick up though.

At any camp, or function in general, it takes a certain amount of time to bond a group together. At this point we had been through fun experiences together (at the beach, hanging out) and some more stressful interactions (starting projects) which are both essential to speed bonding. Thus, the group began to have more fun together during free time.

Out of bed and off to our respective tours. We broke up into our project groups and went to a bunch of cool places hoping to understand our topic a bit better. (I went with the wind group, so all of the pictures are from NRG, the Winooski Dam and the McNeil wood chip powerplant) These tours were fun and gave us the opportunity to ask some questions about our fields of research.

After a morning out we returned for lunch and then proceeded to project time. Filled with fresh new ideas from our assorted topic's industries, new projects took form. These fledging projects were nurtured until dinner.

The evening was to be filled with speakers, a knowledge that both daunted us and acquired our curiousity. Kerry Berstein set the tone for the evening and talked about some really cool AI stuff. Post speakers we were again exhausted, but snacks and fun awaited us back at the dorm. Full and exhausted, we finally went to bed.

Ugh... I'll write this later. This day exhausted me, and I can tell that all of the campers are physically destroyed. They'll be fine later, as will I, which is when I'll do the play by play on beach day.

EDIT: Wow, OK, I've recovered, as have the campers. So beach day...

We woke up in new rooms and worked our new morning routines. We complained with great fervor about our lack of sleep and how crazy it was to wake up this early. And then we complained about walking all the way up to Simpson to get some breakfast. which despite all of the moaning woke us up quite nicely. After some lovely college breakfast food we boarded the buses and departed for Sand Bar beach. It would later be know that Chris and Dan took a detour to collect some water balloons.

Arrival at the beach was easy and we settled right in to our rather large stretch of the sandy coastline. Tom gave us the word on "garbology" and then set us off to sand arches, with MASSIVE expectations. This group was dreaming big, really big. As such, it took an inordinate amount of time to complete even the lowest of layers on the massive arches. This caused several groups to throw in the towel on their own skeleton arches and amalgamate into large collabrative groups that harvested the muck very quickly. As these projects raged, so did very precise water balloon attacks, which reportedly eliminated all targets and caused only minimal collateral damage.

Lunch was had and the lovely weather was enjoyed as heaps of sand where lovingly constructed. Finally after much judging and some impossible sand arch iterations, the annual condiment fight was upon us. Choosing from a deadly arsenal of Cheeze Whiz, Mayonaise, Ketchup, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Sauce and Rasberry Sauce, and a wonderful list of targets, campers were able to settle any early feuds in a completely respectable manor. Of course it was hardly a clean fight, but I'm sure the spectators were willing to overlook that.

We finally had to leave to ensure that dinner could be reach on time. We had a very tired, yet very much bonded group of campers at this point, so we let them relax (nap) that evening. YAWN.

Check in is always the beginning. Slowly, but surely, nearly one hundred fresh, curious engineering campers ascend the dimly lit stairwell flanked by parents and personal effects. One part nerves, another part courage and one big part of determination ensure that all campers complete their first task: lugging all that stuff.

So it wasn't that bad, dragging duffles, or checking in and getting settled. The lounge was cool, look at all those posters and DID YOU SEE THAT AIR CANON?!? Amid all of the excitement and the initial meet and great the first march began, but only a short one. Over to L&L, up the stairs and then to an empty seat. Graciously, and at the same time, abruptly, Dean Domenico Grasso gaves both a welcome and a bleak view of the engineering disparity that our global economy is facing. Far from being all "fire and brimstone," the Dean also spoke about the power of collaboration, the power of engineering and ultimately the power of engineering as responsibly applied to society. And do you remember those essays? The Dean handed out some cool books as prizes for oustanding essays.

After that the keynote speaker was ready. Or speakers rater. Did you have any idea you could turn you science fair project into a several million dollar, voter approved community venture? Of course, Tom told us, and that may just be what you are off to do with your projects.

This marked the second march of the day, but in reality it was the first iteration of the big one. Luckily, completion of the journey meant some already needed R&R, grilled chow and frisbee. And then of course more R&R. And then Tom.

That evening we got to see Tom and Vicki Hildebrand pull together a bunch of assorted stunts. Vicki told us about the state of the global technology world and Tom told us about that technology and the forms of engineering that go into it. Which in a round about way, brought us to mass. After the destruction of laptops and several volunteers self esteem we finally started to understand mass and what it means in our perception of the world. Clearly, mass is the most important aspect of science, or so Tom claims. I'd believe anybody that "irresponsible and dangerous," wouldn't you?