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Applied Physics & Engineering

Three-Week Summer Engineering Program

#2 Top Engineering Summer Program for HS 2022-2024 by Bemo Academic Consulting

This hands-on program, designed for high school students who are preparing to take high school Physics or have already completed it, covers critical laws of flight, gravity, and motion, as well as broader topics within aeronautics and aerospace technologies.

Students construct and test model airplanes while examining thrust, lift, drag, and weight under varying conditions. During their experiments, they will also explore the ways in which ailerons, elevators, rudders, and flaps affect an aircraft’s aerodynamics and stability.

Many lectures and exercises will center around acceleration, centripetal force, and g-force.

This program provides a great pre-college experience for teens considering an engineering or computer science major.

This program sells out every year – don’t lose your chance to join us by waiting too long. Apply now. Want a reminder? Join the mailing list.

This is a competitive admissions summer research program designed for teens.

 June 29th – July 17th, 2026

Babson College | Greater Wellesley, MA
 

More About: Awards – Research Programs – Sample Week 

Hands-on Activities

Sample activities include:

  • Collect data from model airplanes tested under various flight conditions
  • Test critical laws of physics
  • Construct and fly a large model airplane and work with mini rockets, stomp rockets, and gliders
  • Emerge with hands-on knowledge of topics such as Newton’s laws of motion, force, and acceleration

Students’ own descriptions of the activities:

“We learned about planes and how parts of them function. Our teacher did a great job explaining the different variables that influence planes. We learned about certain laws that are important in the world of physics. I like how we got our own chance to build a basic plane and got to really fly it.”

“I liked that we covered the mathematical part of physics that tied into our projects.  Our teacher let us test our ideas as to what engineers do. I’m glad that we were able to design things from scratch and not do set projects.”

Field Trips

Examples of past field trips include:

Canobie Lake Park: In 2025, and several other years, our students have ventured to Canobie Lake Park. They spend the day in the park studying and analyzing the physics behind beloved rides, as well as the engineering that goes into a theme park. 

New England Air Museum: In past years, our students have been able to visit the New England Air Museum. This museum showcases aircraft spanning several different time periods. Our students were able to go into the cockpit of a plane, see how weather impacts flight, and more!

Note: We cannot guarantee any given field trip will run as in past years or at all.  

2026 Instructor:

Maureen Thomas

Maureen holds a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, a top-ranked engineering program in the U.S. She has applied data-driven, AI-supported methods to improve manufacturing processes at Boston Scientific and brings valuable industry research experience. In addition, she has led engineering labs and brings strong high school teaching expertise to her role.

Past Instructors:

Laurence "Larry" Lovett

Laurence Lovett earned his Master’s degree in Experimental Physics after earning his undergraduate degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Laurence currently teaches Physics, Engineering, and Robotics at Wellesley High School, one of the top public schools in Massachusetts.

Charlie Mahoney

Charlie Mahoney has been with this program for some time. Starting as a student in this program, he has now been a TA for many years. He currently teaches at one of the best high schools in the country, and has experience teaching at Wellesley High School. He received his degree in Technology and Engineering Education.

Student Comments

I liked how hands-on the programs were and how it didn’t feel like school or boring because each thing interested me. I liked my teachers because they both taught me to apply what I knew and what I learn to better my planes. I learned a lot and it was a really good and welcoming experience overall.’

I liked how we were able to do a lot of hands-on work on a variety of different projects, and I appreciated the freedom we had to pursue ideas we thought were cool instead of simply following instructions. I also liked how Mr. Lovett would teach us a concept and then give us an opportunity to test it out by building something that made use of it. Overall, the program was enjoyable and I feel that I have gained a better understanding of flight and have learned how to persevere in the engineering design process.’

‘I thought that the program was a great combination of learning and hands-on work. We gleaned a lot of physics knowledge and history from Mr. Lovett’s lessons, but we were also given ample time to put that into practice with our aircraft design. Also, Mr. Lovett and Mr. Mahoney seemed to be having fun with the class, and they introduced us to some cool puzzles and games which helped get our minds running on early mornings. Thank you, Mr. Lovett and Mr. Mahoney! I really loved these last three weeks.’

Note: This page represents our best expectations for the program. Activities and instructors are subject to change. In such cases, similar activities and a comparably qualified instructor will be sought.

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