By Henry Luzzatto

Correspondent

Three rising ninth-graders from Suffolk participated in the BLAST program for science, technology, engineering and math at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech this summer.

Jacquelyn Hendricks, who will be a student at Nansemond River High School next year, said the experience was enjoyable and that it helped her find more interests.

“I’ve been interested in engineering for awhile,” Hendricks said, “but getting to do it hands on and getting to do it yourself makes a real difference.”

BLAST, which stands for Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology, is a free three-day camp offered by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech.

While at BLAST, the students participated in multiple challenges and observed presentations from university students, professors and professional scientists.

Heather Eichman, another student from John Yeates Middle School who was accepted into the program, said the challenges included generating electricity with a windmill, determining whether a drink was poisoned and building vehicles out of trash.

“One of my favorite challenges was robotics,” Hendricks said. In this challenge, the students got to design and build a model Mars rover, which they then piloted using a controller and a camera.

Hendricks said she did not previously have an interest in robotics, but now would like to join a robotics club in high school.

Eichman said the challenge piqued her interest in mechanical engineering, and helped her decide to join the robotics club next year in high school.

While Hendricks and Eichman puzzled through challenges at the University of Virginia, one of their classmates, Julia Burkley, spent her time with BLAST at Virginia Tech.

Her favorite challenge involved building a house out of K’nex pieces and testing its stability with an earthquake simulator.

Burkley said this challenge introduced her to civil engineering, which she now wants to make a career.

“I was looking into it before,” Burkley said, “but at BLAST I got a better grasp on what engineering actually is.”

During the camp, the students got a taste of a true college experience, as they stayed in dorms with roommates, ate in the dining halls and got to tour the campus at the end of the day.

“I would definitely recommend it. Being at college is a really different experience, especially at a young age,” Hendricks said.

The three students said they want to continue to pursue math and science in high school, where they will be able to focus more on the subjects that they enjoy. All three will be members of Project Lead the Way at Nansemond River High School.

Project Lead the Way develops curricula based in the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, and only 24 students from Suffolk Public Schools are accepted into the program each year. Hendricks says that she also hopes to be involved in a robotics club and continue to take math-and-science-based courses.

“I think it’s been great for her,” said Jacquelyn’s mother, Cheryl Hendricks. “I think it’s been a very positive influence, and it gave her different types of engineering experience.”

Eichman said her favorite part of the camp was the common interest and drive of the students.

“It’s just the atmosphere in general, with everyone really wanting to do the same sort of thing,” Eichman said.