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Rutgers Honors Engineering eXperience (RHEx)

Ignite Your Curiosity, Creativity, and Passion for Innovation 

Join Us For RHEx 2024

RHEx is a one week summer program for rising high school seniors to explore several engineering disciplines in a high level, creative and interactive environment, laying the foundation to impact the world of engineering. 

Sunday, June 23, 2024 to Friday June 28, 2024

The RHEx Program

RHEx is a new summer immersion program from Rutgers School of Engineering that allows pre-college students to delve into the field of engineering at a critical point in time before submitting college applications. The residential, one-week program is open to rising high school seniors and offers the opportunity to learn more about the diverse engineering disciplines and career choices through workshops, hands-on activities, labs and projects. 

The program is led by School of Engineering faculty members, teaching assistants, researchers and student mentors. The week culminates in a symposium for families and friends where students present their projects.

Students reside together in a residence hall on campus and all meals are provided by campus dining.

Male Asian student wearing eyeglasses sitting at a table with another male student on his right and two more in the background.

Application Information

Admission is selective and open to students who display an interest in engineering-related studies. To be considered for the program, applicants are asked to submit transcripts, PSAT scores, and an essay.

2024 Application Deadlines

February 23: Early Applicants

April 26: Regular Applicants 

Professor meets with three students in a lab.

RHEx Curriculum

Day 1: eXplore Materials Science

Engage with scholars in an experience filled with an immersive day in Materials Science & Engineering, guided by experts Dr. E. Koray Akdoğan and Dr. Lisa C. Klein. The day features a morning overview, followed by hands-on lab experiences, including making photovoltaic solar cells. The afternoon explores computational materials science and creating holograms. 

Students will also engage in a reflective discussion on experimental results, followed by insights from current students and a Q&A with faculty on career paths. The day concludes with a captivating tour of department facilities. Experience a day of hands-on activities, discussions, and exploration, inspiring the next generation of engineers.

Woman wearing a lab coat and purple safety gloves holds up a round piece of green glass and looks at it.

Day 2: eXplore Chemical Engineering

Embark on a dynamic day with Dr. Ashley Guo, exploring theoretical insights and hands-on programming in chemical engineering. Dive into morning lectures on thermodynamics fundamentals, covering terminology and energy concepts. Progress to equations of state, from the ideal gas law to advanced models like Van der Waals and Redlich-Kwong, connecting theory to real-world applications.

In addition, get an engaging introduction to Python, covering syntax and loops. Apply Python skills to model and visualize equations of state, comparing them using matplotlib. This immersive experience prepares you for real-world applications in the exciting field of chemical engineering.

female student wearing eyeglasses in a white lab coat working with pipette

Day 3: eXplore Electrical Engineering

Engage in hands-on sessions to bring your ideas to life – from a bouncing ball physics demo to a 3D solar system. Unleash your creativity and explore the limitless possibilities of 3D graphics with Dr. Dov Kruger from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In the morning, delve into 2D graphics in Java through an introduction to Processing. No prior experience needed – whether you're a beginner creating animations or an experienced programmer building a game, the focus is on learning and having fun.

Furthermore, the day will continue with 3D graphics exploration. Learn to create a spinning globe in just 15 lines of code and understand 3D graphic coordinates, projections, transformations, shading, and textures.

 

 

Retro wireframe lowpoly futuristic landscape background in blue and black. Cyperspace_grid

Day 4: eXplore Mechanical Engineering

Join Dr. Annalisa Scacchioli from Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering for an inspiring session on Mechanical Engineering and Automata. Learn the principles behind the creation of motion and discover examples of automata from real-world projects but also from the story of engineering and of the art. Get fascinated by the incredible “machines” built by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1500. Participate in the Automata Challenge to learn how to collaborate by working in teams to design, build, and present your Automata project focusing on functionality, teamwork, creativity, and storytelling. To be successful a smart idea is not enough, but collaboration and creativity are the key for your success and you will experience all of that at Rutgers.

Artwork of an airborne contraption designed by Leonardo da Vinci
Woman wearing a lab coat and purple safety gloves holds up a round piece of green glass and looks at it.
female student wearing eyeglasses in a white lab coat working with pipette
Retro wireframe lowpoly futuristic landscape background in blue and black. Cyperspace_grid
Artwork of an airborne contraption designed by Leonardo da Vinci