Engineering programs and camps

A free seven-month mentorship pairing you one-to-one with a U of A engineering student, who helps with university applications, the move from high school and what engineering is really like. You meet at least monthly however suits you both, and there are group events like class shadowing, design challenges and facility tours. Students from anywhere in Canada can join; travel to in-person events is not covered. Applications for 2026-27 close September 30, 2026.

A one-day science, engineering and technology conference with hands-on lab activities, panels with professionals, career sessions and a networking mixer. Registration opens October 2, 2026, with payment due November 3; it is limited to 225 students, so register early to choose your sessions.

A science competition for Canadian and US students. Your team of 2 to 4 imagines a future technology, researches the science behind it and writes it up: a project description of up to 11 pages, an abstract, a bibliography and a launch flyer. High school teams (Grades 10 to 12) compete in their own division. First-prize students each get US$5,000 cash (or a larger savings bond), second prize US$2,500, and the eight finalist teams go to Washington, DC in June. Every student on a team that submits a complete project gets a certificate and a gift. Note that it asks for citizenship, not residency.

An ESA challenge to design a habitat on the Moon, open to Canada because Canada cooperates with ESA. Use any design tool you like, from 3D modelling to games, robotics or experiments. A teacher or educator registers the team and submits on the Moon Camp site. Every valid entry gets an ESA certificate and a place in the online gallery, and teams are invited to a livestream with an astronaut. Early certificates go to entries in by April 19, 2027. Only students up to 16 qualify.

Rigorous engineering challenge where high school teams design, program, and build industrial-size robots in a 6-week build season. Requires applied research in mechanics, CAD, and control systems. Many Alberta teams compete in the Canadian Rockies regional event.

Grade 9-12 teams design, build and program competition robots for game-based tournaments held locally across Alberta, fall through spring.

Distinct from the larger FRC, FTC teams design, build, and program smaller-scale robots using Java and Android-based technology. Requires applied research into control systems and computer vision. More accessible entry point than FRC with lower build costs.

A student-run group in U of A engineering that brings free STEM project kits and mentoring to grades 5-12, building things like robotic arms and wind turbines.

Applications open in late November and close in mid-April for the following summer. A free U of T engineering program: a July intensive on the St. George campus, followed by biweekly events from October through February.

A one-day engineering and geoscience challenge where high school teams solve timed, hands-on problems. Regionals feed the provincial finals.

Multidisciplinary engineering competition where teams use CAD and CAM software to research aerodynamics, design, and race miniature compressed-air powered F1 cars. Alberta teams actively compete at national championships. Builds skills in design, manufacturing, and project management.

Runs as a full-time summer course from late July to late August. The UCalgary Bioengineering Summer Institute gives high school students lab exposure to biomedical engineering ahead of a Schulich application.

Design a free-orbiting space settlement anywhere in the solar system, from structure to how people live there. More than 29,000 students from 31 countries entered in 2026. Top entrants can present at the International Space Development Conference (2027: May 27–30).

Students design an experiment small enough to fit in a 4 cm or 10 cm cube and propose it for flight. Selected experiments fly on a NASA sounding rocket or scientific balloon and come back for analysis. Registration for the 2027 missions opens November 9, 2026; students from outside the US can fly on the balloon missions.

A national STEM contest where a class or club uses science and technology to tackle a problem in its own community. Your teacher enters by answering three short questions: the local challenge, your STEM solution, and how it will last. Finalists build out their projects. Prizes are Samsung technology vouchers for the school, up to $50,000 for first place. The 2026 entry window was January 12 to February 27.

Build a satellite the size of a pop can with a small computer and sensors, and fly it. Teams of up to six get a free CanSat kit by mail and follow tutorials over the fall and winter. In spring, Beginner teams' CanSats are dropped from a drone, while Advanced teams travel to Lethbridge to launch theirs by rocket to about 1 km and transmit live data. The top Advanced team represents Canada at the European Space Agency's CanSat event in the Netherlands. Registration for the 2026-27 challenge is open now.

A day at UCalgary's engineering school aimed at high school girls: explore engineering majors and minors, meet student mentors and alumni, and hear about programs like the Bioengineering Summer Institute. Teachers register their school. The 2026 event was February 19; the 2027 date is not posted yet.