What is Beaver Works Summer Institute? (BWSI)
Highschoolers are constantly looking for places to beef up their resumes for college; especially students focused in STEM.
There is always more project to do, more time that could be put into their skills, however focus is limited. This drive is not forever, however MITs Beaver Works Summer Institute can help with that.
What is Beaver Works Summer Institute?
Beaver Works is a rigorous STEM program founded by the MIT school of Engineering and MIT Lincoln Laboratory!
BWSI can be described in great detail as:
A rigorous competitive STEM program founded by the MIT school of Engineering and MIT Lincoln Laboratory
4 weeks in person or virtual program with numerous high intensive STEM programs.
Niche courses facing real life issues such as engineering autonomous underwater vehicles, to spotting cancer from mammography images with AI.
An over the summer program for incoming Highschool Seniors.
One of the most immersive STEM program experiences that a highschooler can do in the Summer!
BWSI provides 2 different forms of teaching; Self Study and Online + In Person
Self Study doesn’t have live teaching, however it is self led and provides courses that extend throughout the year.
For the In Person course, there is typically a prerequisite individual online component/course filled with lectures pertaining to the course to prepare for the summer course.
The applications are available to ALL grades (9th, 10th, 11th) however consider the limited number of students, accepted students are generally finishing their junior year (i.e. rising seniors)
Online + In Person vs Self Study
Virtual
Curriculum is free, however application is necessary.
Nomination form is not necessary.
Available until Nov 30, 2024
Online + In Person (Summer Institute)
Typically for Summer Institute, there is a prerequisite individual online course leading to Summer.
Online Courses start on February 1st, 2024.
All of these characteristics make a highly competitive program/internship that is offered in such little places in the world. In the next section, we will talk about the multi-step application process to this Summer Institute.
Beaver Works Summer Institute Application Process
Beaver works is a one in a kind summer program, however, with its strengths comes high competition to get in.
In this section, I will summarize the application process. More information can be found here: https://beaverworks.ll.mit.edu/CMS/bw/bwsiapply
Step 1: Nomination Form filled out by a Teacher, Parent, Guardian or Mentor for students to be eligible to apply.
Necessary for ALL STUDENTS, regardless of virtual or in person.
Nomination Form continuous to Feb 1, 2024 - March 31 2024.
If nominated after, only able to apply to online class.
Step 2: Online Student Registration filled out by students.
Available to register access for the free online courses.
Students can register for a prerequisite online course for the Summer Institute.
The online course will open for study on 1 February 2024
Step 3: Summer Institute Application (March 1 - March 31, 2024). Has Application similar to Colleges. In application, have to include:
Three short essays (500 words or less for each essay).
Teacher recommendation or Mentor (over 18) due by April 1st.
Application asks for honors/awards (limited to maximum of 200 characters, be specific)
In Person Courses Available 2024: Autonomous RACE CAR, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge, Drone Racing, UAS-Synthetic Aperture Radar, and Build a CubeSat.
Results for Summer Institute come out April 30, 2024!
Example BWSI Course Overview (UAS-Synthetic Aperture Radar)
In this blog, we discuss tons about the application process to get into Beaver Works Summer Institute, regarding the format of courses. However, what happens in this 4-week course may be a question lingering in the heads of these readers.
We will go over a quick summary of the 4 week process in an In Person course about unmanned aircraft sensor program at BWSI.
UAV’s (Unmanned aircraft Vehicles) are used to capture videos/data for many purposes, such as sporting events, collecting data for analysis, and even military use.
Regarding the Online Course component required:
Contains important introductory material to provide students with sufficient background information to “catch up”.
Specific to the UAS course, the online component exposes students to real-world radar data and UAV motion properties.
The length of these precourses are varies based on the course.
Some Introductions / Prerequisites in Online Course:
Matrices and matrix manipulation
Software programming for data acquisition and signal processing
Flight dynamics
Fundamentals of propagation and radar range equation
Summer Institute Course:
Not only are the online courses filled with lectures, but so are the Summer Course, filled with lectures from experts in the field.
Week 1 (Building a RADAR):
Since BWSI is a STEM/engineering centered camp, in all the weeks, the students fill their days with workshops.
For example: Building a functioning radar and using it for data acquisition around campus.
Week 2:
Week is dedicated towards generating radar images using step-stare synthetic aperture radar mode on a rail system
Generate their first image of a corner reflector.
Week 3 (Up, Up, and Away):
Students will directly apply their UAV sensors into a radar system on a small UAV.
Measure the UAV dynamics, and apply motion compensation to prepare for the final imaging challenge.
Week 4 (Best Image Challenge):
Students will select the best image around campus for the BWSI Radar Imagery Champion.
The final week is filled with presentation preparation.
Opportunities after BWSI:
Beaver Works Summer Institute provides a list of related programs, internships, and competitions which can be found here. Some notable names are Lincoln Laboratory Internship + American Association for Cancer Research.
Final Thoughts about Beaver Works Summer Institute
STEM programs are incredibly motivating, character building, and a huge part of pursuing your path. A main contributor for this motivation is the incredible curriculum that camps like BWSI provides, however a huge part that is overlooked is the environment that these Summer Programs force you to work in.
These programs do a great job of allowing students to meet people with similar interests. There's hardly any highschool student that has more interest than an 11th grader who traveled across the country to engineer Underwater Autonomous Vehicles.
These programs provide a platform for high school students to explore and engage in STEM disciplines, often leading to lasting friendships. The bonds formed during BWSI extend beyond the program itself, as many participants continue to collaborate on personal projects long after the summer ends.
The value of leaving such programs with not just knowledge but also a network of friends and collaborators is immeasurable, making the Beaver Works Summer Institute a truly priceless experience for students pursuing their STEM journey.
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
