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The Engineering Institute

Ready to learn lifelong engineering skills and develop your own projects?

“GIV was definitely an empowering and inspiring experience for me…The various workshops and hands-on learning experiences provided by the Engineering Institute allowed me to exercise and develop problem-solving skills essential in any field of engineering. The strand-specific projects allowed for a direct application of these skills.”

Summer 2024 dates and information coming soon!

About the Engineering Institute...

Do you want to save the world?

This summer, help create a sustainable future at the GIV Engineering Institute! You’ll spend a week on Norwich University’s campus developing your own projects in fields like energy, robotics, and structural engineering as you work to create resilient solutions to the planet’s most pressing problems. With access to professional equipment and the guidance of renowned engineers, you’ll build bridges to a better future!

Summer 2024 dates and information coming soon!

For information regarding tuition, please click here.

Engineering Students Build Bridge 2023
Engineering Students Designing 2019

At This Institute You Will...

  • Choose your favorite area of engineering to dive into.
  • Meet other young Vermonters who share your interests.
  • Learn to “think like an engineer,” analyzing and solving real-world problems.
  • Take on a variety of design challenges to hone creativity and problem-solving.
  • Hear from a wide range of engineers and discover academic and career pathways.
  • Explore technology and equipment used by engineers.
  • Have the time of your life!

Experience the vibe at the Engineering Institute!

Check out photos from the Summer 2023 session below…

View the full album and download photos by clicking here.

Note: This album is arranged in chronological order as events took place throughout the Institute.

Video recap from the Institute coming soon!

Attending this Institute can earn you credit and proficiencies!

How To Get High School Credit

We encourage all students who participate in an Institute to use the experience to earn high school credit.

Awarding high school credit is at the discretion of the student’s sending school, so we recommend students make a plan with their high school guidance counselor before attending GIV to earn their credit.

Each school has unique requirements around proficiencies, credits, and PLPs, so there are multiple pathways to awarding credit based on your school's system of assessments.

However, we recommend that high schools award credit by having students produce one or more of the following...
- A presentation to reflect on the overall experience to present for counselors and/or teachers in the fall after their participation.
- A learning journal for submission about areas of learning, activities, reflections.
- Work examples to share with sending school teachers (physical or digital products, writing, videos of presentations, learning journal, etc.) to be reviewed and assessed.

Please reach out to us at [email protected] if we can directly help or support you or your school in determining credit opportunities for your experience at GIV.

Curriculum Format

1-week intensive
2 activities each day
Students choose between two strands of study- energy or hydrology
Students work independently and in teams on projects
Workshops, presentations, and activities that cover different areas of engineering
Field trips to area engineering hubs and businesses
Hands-on exploration
Dormitories and roommates
12:1 student-to-staff ratio

Curriculum Topics

Sustainability
Energy
Hydrology
Electricity
Mechanics
Robotics
Mathematics
Manufacturing
Aeronautics and aerospace industries

Hours and Opportunities

50 hours of engineering training
Connections/collaborations with professional engineers and college professors.
Resume-building
Connections with Institute sponsor companies and local employers (GS Precision, Global Foundaries, Norwich Solar, NASA)

High School Credit Recommendations

Equivalent to one semester of high school credit in 1 or more of the following:

Science - Physical Sciences
Science - Engineering and Technology
Mathematics- Geometry

VT Proficiency Indicators

This Institute’s curriculum has been aligned with the following Vermont proficiency-based graduation requirements at the high school level.

Science
- Physical Sciences: 1d, 1e, 1j, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g
- Engineering Technology and Applied Science: 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f, 8g, 8h

Mathematics
- Modeling: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f
- Functions: 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f
- Geometry: 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e

Transferable Skills
- Communication: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g
- Self-Direction: 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h, 2i
- Problem Solving: 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3g, 3h
- Citizenship: 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f
- Informed Thinking: 5a, 5b, 5f

So how does it all work?

Every day is a unique experience filled with expert-led instruction, hands-on investigation, field trips, and immersive learning. We work to build a community around our experiences and share in our passion for everything we explore.

**The schedule is slightly different each year and announced when you arrive!

GIV’s supportive Institute structure is endlessly enriching, empowering, and engaging.

An Example of a Day at the Engineering Institute

7:30 AM: Breakfast
8:30 AM: Morning Check-in
9:00 PM: Guest Speaker Presentations
10:00 AM: Morning Workshop
12:00 PM: Lunch
1:00 PM: Afternoon Workshop & Field Trips
5:00 PM: Dinner
7:00 PM: Nightly social events
10:00 PM: End of Day

Thank you to our sponsors who support this Institute...

GS Precision

G.S. Precision, Inc.

Based in Brattleboro, VT, G.S. Precision is a global leader in the manufacture of critical components for the Aerospace and Defense Industries.

Norwich Solar

Based in Hartford, VT, Norwich Solar provides complete end-to-end solar solutions to businesses, schools and towns throughout Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Global Foundries

GF is one of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers, redesigning innovation by developing feature-rich process technology solutions that provide leadership performance in pervasive high growth markets.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.

Engineering Faculty

Michael Cross | Institute Director

Michael Cross, PhD, is a lecturer of electrical and computer engineering, teaching classes in the areas of circuits, electronics, energy systems, and engineering design.

Cross received degrees from the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Vermont and began his academic career at UVM, where he taught courses in the areas of analog and digital circuits, electronics, semiconductor physics, power electronics, and engineering design.

His doctoral and post-doctoral research at the University of Vermont explored the electrical, structural, optical, and electro-chemical properties of thin films and energetic nanomaterials. His professional experience includes working as a development engineer at IBM Microelectronics in Essex Junction, Vt., where he was involved in the development of state-of-the-art photomasks. His professional and scholarly work has been published both nationally and internationally.

Ready to take your engineering skills to the next level?

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