NERD Lab Niceville Future Engineers Bootcamp - Build Your Own Lightsaber (BYOL) - High School

Build cool stuff. Learn real STEM. Feel like a Jedi.

This is not your average summer activity. In Future Engineers Bootcamp: BYOL, high school students get hands-on with real STEM—while building something really cool.

Offered in collaboration with Applied Research Associates (ARA) and led by an engineering professional, this immersive experience gives students a behind-the-scenes look at how professionals design and build real-world systems. Campers will wire circuits, program lights and sounds using microcontrollers, and design custom blade plugs using CAD software and 3D printing.

Students will explore physics, electronics, and programming in a fun, engaging environment that connects directly to careers in engineering and tech. Best of all, they’ll take home a custom-built lightsaber - and a new perspective on what a future in STEM can look like.

Come for the lightsaber. Stay for the skills. Leave feeling like a Jedi—with a future in STEM.