Salina, KS — Students between the third to 12thgrades will have the opportunity to experience the hands-on learning style offered at Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus by registering to attend any of the firsthand interactive summer programs offered by the campus in May, June and July.

Summer programs available include unmanned aircraft systems, aviation and robotics. All courses are designed to suit the interests of children in elementary, middle and high school. All summer programs are led by student clubs and faculty experts.

The following summer programs are being offered by K-State Salina:

Drone Engineering, the newest program, is offered for ninth- through 12th-graders and will be May 23-25. Participants will become acquainted with important aspects of drone engineering by learning the concepts of aerodynamics and electronics while building their own drones. They will then test their drone skills at the Drone Challenge obstacle course.

Aviation Fixation will be offered June 6-8 and is for third- through fifth-graders. They will learn the basics of flight and the anatomy of an aircraft. Students will fly in state-of-the-art flight simulators and sit at the controls of the K-State Salina aircraft fleet to expand their knowledge of aviation.

Aviation Fixation 2.0 will be offered June 6-8 and is for sixth- through eighth-graders. This program will help take their love and knowledge of aviation to the next level. Participants will read aviation maps and learn how the weather, pre-flight inspections and aircraft anatomy are all required to be a great aviator. These skills will be tested in a flight around the Salina area.

Fly K-State Academy will be offered June 13-16 and is for ninth- through 12th-graders. The attendees will take part in four missions designed to take their aviation skills to the next level. They’ll learn how to take off and land, perform flight maneuvers and take a cross-country flight using the tools of a professional pilot.

Build-a-Bot will be offered July 19-21 and is for kids in grades sixth through eighth. They will explore the world of engineering by building and programming their own robot. Students will assemble a gadget robot car under the direction of K-State Salina professors, learn to code with graphical programming language, program on-board sensors to navigate the robot and more.

The Robot Challenge allows students to harness the power of engineering and will be offered July 19-21 for ninth- through 12th-graders. They’ll create a gadget robot car with direction from K-State Salina professors, learn program language to expand rover capabilities, create code and more.

For more information, including pricing and how to register for courses, visit salina.k-state.edu/academics/youth-programs/summer or contact Callie Hobkirk at 785-826-2643 or cshobkirk@k-state.edu.