In-Person Summer Program
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are only able to offer our in-person summer programs in Palo Alto.
We are offering our highly successful remote program nationwide and encourage students who can’t attend in Palo Alto to apply.
Program Features
- Six-week full program or custom length program (5 weeks or less)
- Monday – Friday, 4.5 hours/day
- Students pick from an existing project list or can suggest their own custom project
- 3:1 student-staff ratio
- Industry expert guest lecturers
- Students create project web page and present project
Students Get To
- Complete a real engineering project
- Take home your working prototype
- Use tools and equipment similar to those used by engineering companies
- Learn the engineering design cycle
- Network with engineers and entrepreneurs
- Understand job tasks of an engineer
- Develop a passion for engineering and technology
Application Process
BlueStamp accepts applications under a rolling admissions format. Classes fill up quickly—early applications are strongly encouraged. Enrollment capacity is limited in order to maintain the 3:1 student to instructor ratio. Selected students and their parents/guardians/teachers are invited to interview with our staff to talk about the program and their interests. Fundraising opportunities, payment plans, and need-based financial assistance are available. Admitted students then start brainstorming project ideas with the BlueStamp staff!
Locations
Detailed information, including tuition costs and program times varies for each city. Please visit the individual locations below for more detailed information.
San Francisco
1430 Scott St. San Francisco, CA 94115
Palo Alto
780 Arastradero Rd. Palo Alto, CA 94306
New York
60 East 78th Street New York, NY 10075
What Students Can Expect
Starter Project
Within the first hour of the first day, BlueStamp students are in front of tools building their starter project. By the end of the first week, they will have built, tested, understood, and documented their starter project with a video.
Start Main Project Build
Because projects are selected before the program even begins, all of the required parts are waiting for the students when they arrive. They can dive right into tutorials, discussions with the staff, strategic planning, or whatever other direction best fits their project.
Continue Main Project Build
Since each student creates a unique project, each student has the opportunity to face a unique path. Some students spend weeks writing code, others have to bounce between electronics, mechanics, and 3D modeling to get their project to work. The idea > test > fail > analyze iteration can be challenging, but our experienced staff is there to help and the sense of accomplishment is second to none.
Continue Main Project Build
As with any new engineering project, the end point is difficult to predict. As soon as students complete their ‘minimum viable product,’ they are allowed to customize their project. Some students take their RC tank and make it autonomous thanks to GPS and a compass. Others redesign the mechanical system to be totally custom. Students are designing, creating, and learning until the very last day.
Finish Webpage
Throughout the engineering process, students will document their projects continually and with 3 milestone check-in videos. The documentation will reside on this site with the student learning to create their own wordpress portfolio page. This portfolio page will serve as their living journal, recording their successes and failures during the projects.
At the end of the 6 weeks – students will be able to use this portfolio page as a college admissions resource for their top schools. Past BlueStamp students have found their pages to be of great value when interviewing with college recruiters. These webpages are always mentioned when we write recommendations to support our alumni.
Finishing Touches
Each student gets to present at our Showcase Night where parents, teachers, donors, and friends are invited to socialize over refreshments before seeing the formal presentations.
What Parents Can Expect
Program Goals
This is an investment in your child’s future, not just a summer program. Our program has three main goals beyond the actual prototype experience.
1. Complete a website with three milestones – students practice public speaking and use business technology
2. Presentation of full engineering documentation (e.g. schematics, source code, 3-D drawings) on their individual webpage for future engineering reference – students learn data sharing, big picture thinking and use CAD software
3. Give a live demonstration to parents, peers and supporters explaining the project, the problems encountered, lessons learned and reflection of the experience – students practice public speaking and experience personal growth and validation
Engineering Careers
College planning is a stressful time for students who are unclear about which path of study they want to pursue. This summer program is a great opportunity for them to test the waters of engineering, prior to investing in a college education. It is difficult to truly understand what a career in engineering or technology is like through conventional experiences that rely on lectures and textbooks. Therefore, the opportunity to be with peers who have the same thirst for real life engineering work, make a summer at BlueStamp memorable.
Time Commitment
Some students who use public transportation to get to BlueStamp find that it is similar to commuting to their summer job. The total time commitment, instead of being a burden, gives participants a sense of seriousness to their work. It can be another step towards your child seeing themselves as independent with expectations and responsibilities. A summer at BlueStamp Engineering provides a space and time that is set apart from the everyday. They will learn skills that they can carry with them to college and the workplace.
Staff Support
Your child will be supported and guided by our experienced designers. We will treat them with respect for their desire to work on a project like an engineer. It will be a summer of problems and solutions, which they will explore and discover. We see students discovering what they are truly capable of accomplishing when it’s something they really want to see come to completion.
Previous Projects
A great way to get a feel for the program is by checking out the work of previous students. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to chat with parents and talk about BlueStamp!