When students are off school during summer break, young scholars are especially susceptible to the so-called "summer brain drain," sometimes heading back to classes in the fall without having exercised their minds all break.

That's where the University of Alaska Anchorage Summer Engineering Academy comes in.

The program is organized in week-long sessions, with options to study a variety of engineering-based topics such as aerodynamics, alternative energy, coding, and robotics, all things that can be put to use right here in the Last Frontier.

"By Alaskans, for Alaskans, in an Alaska higher institute of learning," said Elaine Todd, an engineering academies instructor. "We're planting a seed. We're trying to see if there's maybe something they don't come across in their day-to-day school that maybe we could introduce them to."

All of the academies take a hands-on approach to engineering, introducing young scholars, grades 5 through 12, to different aspects of the science as well as individuals working in the field.

During robotics weeks, for example, students build their own robots, program the bots themselves, and take them through bot-to-bot challenges.

"We spend a lot of time trying to see if we can find different ways of engaging the kids, still within the program, and having them learn something," Todd said. "And we are successful I would say in the great, great majority of the cases."

However, while it may all sound like fun and games, in some ways, it's tough learning. The programs are meant to expose kids to the various facets of engineering, but also to help them avoid that summer brain drain.

"This is hard learning," Todd said. "This is the hardest fun you'll ever have."

Victoria Roach, an alumna of the camp, got a full ride to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's Advanced Space Academy with one of her projects from the academy. She was a student in the summer program multiple times, and used her robot design as part of her application to Space Camp.

"Our motivation, our goal is really exposure," said Scott Hamel, Director of the Summer Engineering Academy and Assitant Professor of Engineering at UAA. "It's really to get kids to see what an engineer does or could do or might do in the future.

As for Victoria, he said, "I knew her name within the first day, because she was totally focused, involved, and inquisitive, asking lots of questions."

Roach's experiences at the UAA Engineering Academies even came into play when she was at Space Camp just last week.

"It definitely helped a lot in building the rovers," Roach said. "With the robotics camp, I got an introduction to all of the stuff we ended up using at Space Camp."

Now, Roach said, she's set on following her dreams.

"I know what I want to do when I grow up now," she said. "I'm not sure what college I want to go to yet, but I know that I want to become a pilot and then later on, apply to NASA for the astronaut program.

"I think (the UAA Summer Engineering Academy) kind of opened my mind to being able to think creatively and figure out different ways for something to work," she said. "If it doesn't work one way, how might it work the other way?"

Even some students who came in with no experience in the engineering field may just end up being our future scientists.

Rising eighth grader James Harris, who is a student in this week's robotics academy, said he's never done anything in engineering until the UAA program. Now, he wants to come back next year, and maybe even go to school to study something in the field.

"I used to want to be an astronaut," Harris said. "But, I like this kind of stuff - tinkering with metal. So I'm thinking about it.

"It's really fun," he said. "You can just use your imagination, and that's all you really need."

This year's academy goes through August 5th, with most courses taking place at UAA. There are also a couple of sessions taking place in the Mat-Su Valley.

Tuition for most of the week-long programs is $100 per student, which includes instruction, lunch and materials, but any child or teen on free or reduced lunch will get a tuition waiver. Anyone interested must apply and go through a lottery.

You can learn more about the UAA Summer Engineering Academy

.