KALAMAZOO – Building a scale-model wind turbine will be the capstone project at two summer camps for youths ranging in age from 12 to 16 at Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Texas Township Campus. The first session will run from July 13-16 and the second is Aug. 3-6. The fee is $235.
Guiding both camps, which will be in action from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on each of the four days, will be Trevor Stefanick, a physics instructor at KVCC who has a background in theater and is working on a master�??s in astrophysics.
Stefanick, a 1997 graduate of Vicksburg High School, worked as a stagehand for Miller Auditorium productions at Western Michigan University for a decade, was involved in Whole Art Theater shows for two years, and created a historical character for performances at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. He has bachelor degrees in theater and physics from WMU.
Among the camp activities will be learning about testing for wind speeds, what makes an effective, energy-producing blade for a wind turbine, the state�??s wind resources, what are the best locations, how to use the electricity produced by a wind turbine, and the keys to installing an effective unit.
The campers will also hear from one of the KVCC instructors who spent six weeks in Germany being trained on the manufacturing, components and electrical technology that go into producing and operating the giant turbines clustered on wind farms. He and a fellow instructor will begin the college�??s national training academy for these units in October.
Camp participants, who will number 15 for each session, will also tour and inspect the 145-foot, 50-kilowatt wind turbine now in operation at the west end of the Texas Township Campus.
To register or to receive more information, call the college�??s Wind Energy Center based in the M-TEC of KVCC at 353-1253or visit this web site WindEnergyCenter.KVCC.Edu
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