Teens learn about EV innovation, building electric vehicles at high-tech camp

LOGAN — On the campus of Utah State University, the specialized lab known as Advancing Self-sufficiency through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification, or ASPIRE, is hoping to inspire future innovators and engineers in the EV field.

The ASPIRE Summer EV Academy is letting high school students get an up-close look at their various programs, like the electrified roadway technology that can charge moving vehicles. Students also get hands-on experience in building an electric vehicle from a kit.

"It's just fun doing something different," Lewis Madsen, a junior from Alta High School in Sandy, said. "I've been interested in, like, motors, transmissions, making things move."

Student researchers in the program at USU help take the teens through the five-day experience. Hope Miller, a research assistant in mechanical engineering, says often the best way to find your career field is by doing.

"Originally, I wanted to be somewhere in the medical field, and I decided I didn't want to work in a hospital all day," Miller said. "I kind of switched to mechanical engineering on a whim."

ASPIRE is a National Science Foundation engineering research center that develops innovations that could ultimately power the electrified transportation of the future.

"It's super cool to be here because there's so much innovation happening every day," Miller said. "We're growing at a very fast pace, but everybody here really loves what they do. And you can see that."

While Madsen is focused more on mechanical engineering for now, he says he's keeping his options open.

"I'll see how much demand there is for labor in the field," he said. "I really liked working on building the car, and it's really cool just figuring out how things work."

Teens who complete the ASPIRE Summer EV Academy will get an invitation to join the program at ASPIRE in their senior year at Utah State University.

"I think there will definitely be a demand," Miller said. "I don't think electric vehicles are going away anytime soon. And I think innovation, they're just going to keep, getting bigger and bigger in our transportation industry."

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