The Sustainable Futures Academy is a free, one-week enrichment program hosted by Rice University's Center for STEM Engagement for students in grades 10 and 11. Running July 7 to 11, 2025 on the Rice University campus, the program combines hands-on engineering labs with discussions led by Rice faculty and graduate students, with projects spanning landing capsule engineering, roller coaster design, and circuit challenges rooted in sustainability. The academy is primarily designed for high school girls but welcomes boys and non-binary students in the same grade range. It is a rare opportunity to experience university-level STEM education at no cost while working alongside real researchers and engineers.
Breaking down a challenge and working through it methodically to a solution.
Planning and building electronic circuits that power devices and systems.
Designing studies, testing hypotheses, and drawing evidence-based conclusions.
Evaluating information carefully before drawing a conclusion or making a decision.
Guiding a group toward a shared goal and keeping everyone moving together.
Students design and build engineering challenges like landing capsules and roller coasters, core mechanical engineering work.
Participants learn circuits and electronics through Microbits, directly relevant to electrical engineering fundamentals.
Academy focuses on sustainability challenges and green design solutions central to environmental engineering.
Students explore physics concepts like motion and energy through hands-on labs and rover experiments.
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