For U.S. military engineers, it is never too early to start training new recruits. This summer, 140 high-school students got an early immersion into engineering and a heavy dose of military precision at week-long boot camps run by the three services and the Society of American Military Engineers. Awakened at 06:30 each day, campers were immersed in an engineering bubble, with a jam-packed schedule that included lab experiments, offsite facility tours and scores of hands-on projects. Organizers even scheduled, down to the minute, Ultimate Frisbee games and how long it would take students to cross camp grounds.
Organizers of the three camps, at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.; the U.S. Navy’s base in Port Hueneme, Calif., and an Army reserve center in Vicksburg, Miss., aimed to offer prospects a preview of military engineering that encourages them to steer their careers in that direction.