High school seniors from around the country spent June 23-29 exploring the world of engineering and aviation first-hand. The Parks College Academy of Engineering and Aviation brings together engineering and aviation experts who work with talented high school students at Saint Louis University’s state-of-the-art facilities.

The goal of the academy is to expose students to the latest technology and available career opportunities in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Participants were high school students graduating in 2002 and that had at least a B average and scores of a 24 on the ACT or 1100 on the SAT score.

“The purpose of the academy is to give students with interest in the aviation industry or aerospace engineering a preview of the studies and team environment in which engineers work,” said Lisa Keller, associate director of undergraduate admissions.

In addition to these requirements, participants had to submit an essay and were encouraged to send a letter of recommendation from a math or science teacher.

Chaperoned by SLU students Matt LeBlanc and Darla Wiggins, the high schoolers stayed in dorms.

This year’s students came from St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Chicago, Kansas City, San Diego, Omaha, Neb., and Winston, Wisconsin.

“A big component of the experience is having fun,” Keller said. The week included outings to the Science Center-Michael Jordan at the IMAX Theater- and tour of the F-18 line at Boeing.

Keller said the academy does not accommodate enough students to affect student recruitment for freshmen. Keller does hope that the positive experiences of these students will be relayed to classmates.