The UAA Summer Engineering Academies recently hosted two weeklong camps focused on corrosion chemistry for middle school students, running from July 22-26 and July 29-Aug. 2. Led by mechanical engineering associate professor Raghu Srinivasan, Ph.D., also known as "Dr. Rust," these camps provided students with hands-on experiences in corrosion science as part of UAA's broader K-12 outreach and STEM education initiatives.

For five days, students delved into the science behind rust and decay, learning the fundamentals of corrosion chemistry. They conducted experiments to investigate how different environments — such as varying humidity, salinity, oxygen levels, pH and wetness — affect metal corrosion. Activities included electroplating pennies, separating hydrogen from water using electrolysis and using red cabbage juice as a pH indicator.

With support from UAA’s Faculty Initiative Fund, Srinivasan partnered with the Special Education Service Agency and Anchorage School District to make the curriculum more inclusive and accessible for students with low-level learning disabilities.

Each camp concluded with a corrosion experiments showcase open to parents, giving students the opportunity to share what they learned and achieved over the past week. UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell attended the first week’s celebration, applauding the students’ experiments and distributing student-designed certificates.

(All photos by James Evans / University of Alaska Anchorage)

The two corrosion chemistry camps were among 28 weeklong instructional sessions offered in Anchorage and Palmer by UAA’s College of Engineering this summer, thanks to support from ConocoPhillips Alaska, the MTA Foundation and Siemens. Other academy topics included 3D design and printing, creative coding, robotics, wing aerodynamics and hydrology.

For many of the participating middle school students, the camps are more than just an introduction to STEM — they’re an opportunity to explore new interests and develop skills that will pave the way for future academic pursuits.

Applications for the 2025 Summer Engineering Academies will open in early February. Sign up for the mailing list to be notified.