DTE Renewable Energy and Sustainable Cities
Summer Camp
Preparing Future Sustainable Energy Leaders
Kettering University offers this 9-day summer program to students in grades 6-12, with energy production site tours, energy and climate change presentations, industrial speakers, hands-on building of energy devices, and use of measurement tools for energy analysis. During the closing ceremony, students will give a PowerPoint presentation to their parents and peers, describing what they learned and sharing their ideas for a future that revolves around sustainable energy.
Learn more about this pre-college summer program here.
Dr. K. J. Berry and Dr. Susanta Das are the primary contributors to the design and delivery of this annual summer camp.
Read a summary of the camp experience, or view the 2023 Camp Photo Wall!
Camp Objectives
The primary DTE summer camp objectives were:
• Help GENERATION ALPHA future engineers and scientists understand their social responsibility to the survival and environmental security of future generations.
• Educate students to a conversational level in several renewable energy areas and technology including solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels and bio-power, fuel cells, hydrogen, hybrid transport heat pumps, hydroelectricity, engineering ethics, water security, and Agriculture and Aquaponics.
• Educate students to help them understand the use of instrumentation for energy measurements and for the calculation of power and resistance.
• Provide an opportunity for students to use basic hand tools for the assembly, operation, and data collection of a renewable energy power generation device.
• Help students to understand the importance of data collection, data formatting, and technical presentations for engineers and scientists.
• Help students understand the vital necessity of engineering and society ethics as a guiding mindset for future engineers and scientists as decision-makers focused on securing our future for future generations.
Over the course of this intensive 2-week program, students were challenged to think critically about the impact of sustainable energy technologies on on our future.
Camp Field Trips
a tour of the DTE Lapeer Solar Facility
a tour of the Bad Axe Wind Power Generation Facility
a trip to the Linden Wastewater Treatment Plant
a tour of the Flint MTA Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus and Alternative (Propane/CNG) Fueling facility.
Camp Experiences
with the help of mentors, students had to assemble, test, and collect data for an energy conversion project, and prepare a technical presentation
very specialized lectures in diverse topics such as the Flint Water Crisis, Hybrid Mobility, Engineering and Societal Ethics, and industrial lectures from DTE and Consumers Energy discussing Michigan’s strategic plan for securing our energy future
Parent Testimonials
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"We were very impressed with the number of ield trips and the speakers that the campers were exposed to. Tie that in with hands-on experience and you have an amazing camp.”
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"Every day I heard my students share new information on what they had learned. He was really excited about the hydrogen fuel cells, the field trip to the bus depot, the speakers from Consumers & DTE, and the time he worked on his project."
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"Yes, it was valuable because it taught my kid some important concepts. For instance, my daughter told me that from 3-7pm don’t turn on the AC unit or dryer or washing machine. And with reason she explained it. It was good to hear that she learned it at the camp."
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"It was a very valuable experience. My son saw this camp & asked to be enrolled. I’m so glad that he did because he loved this experience."
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"The energy camp was extremely valuable to my child. I noticed how he was eager to learn even though he’s never attended a camp like this before."
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"The energy camp was more than I expected due to the educational field trips my child attended & the informative presentation on the last day."
