STEM students design, then launch dragsters
Racing against the clock, students in teacher Shane Helmich’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) class launched Co2 dragsters of their own design, working to earn the best time in the class before the end of the school year.
The Olive Peirce Middle School students had been working on their cars for months. To create their dragsters, they researched various designs and created thumbnail sketches based on the results they found.
Once they found a design that suited them, they created a final sketch that adhered to the qualifications of standards held by competitions across the state. They then cut the outline of the sketch and pasted it onto balsa wood.
“Balsa wood’s easier to work with and it goes faster on the track because it’s lighter,” Helmich said.
Using hand tools such as coping saws, dremels and clamps, students carved their design out of the balsa wood. They then went outside to paint their models.
They used AutoDesk Inventor, an engineering software program similar to a Computer Aided Design, to sketch a personalized model of their dragster that could be printed using the 3D printer. After printing, students built upon the models further using axles, washers and eye hooks to connect with the fishing line on the track.
“It’s nice when they make something on the computer, because we can make it come to life,” said Helmich.
As well as designing their vehicles, students were assigned jobs to help conduct the races. Among them were time keepers, starters, line threaders, Co2 charger loaders and Co2 charger recovery workers.
Some students were also appointed to be math assistants/experts. During the race, it was their job to help their peers with calculations based on the data they collected.
“I want to incorporate the math so they can see it come to life,” said Helmich. “They’re going to weigh their designs, we have timers and I’m going to have some real life math application problems.”
Seventh-grader Summer Campbell was familiar with the STEM program, but agreed that the project tested the students’ knowledge.
“It was more complicated than we thought, but it turned out really nice,” Campbell said. “It taught us definitely metric systems and measuring. And it taught us how to build things and put them together the right way. And it really taught us that mistakes are OK.”
The STEM program has been on the middle school campus for two years and helps students learn to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of the information gathered.
Seventh-grader Lucas Carlson was new to the program, but enjoyed the opportunities it presented.
“It’s amazing. I had to pull some strings, but I’m getting into robotics next year, and then I’m going to be a STEM aide,” said Carlson. “I already knew that I wanted to be a mechanical engineer, but this really backs it up.”
Projects such as this will help the students, not only in school, but later in their lives as well. The STEM class introduces them to concepts and job opportunities that they might not have considered.
“I like it a lot and I think it’s amazing and I just love it, and I’m actually considering being an engineer when I grow up, too, ’cause it’s really cool,” said seventh-grader Faith Tomlinson.
Marc Richmond, an engineering manager at AutoProducts, attended the event and watched the students conduct their research.
“It was great seeing the kids building these, having the ideas, and then going and testing them and modifying and seeing if that provides any better results,” Richmond said. “I think having this kind of exposure at this age definitely gives them a step up. This is definitely a prototype for exactly what we do in the field.”
Seventh-graders Daniel Radeke and Chris Cutshaw won first place with a time of 0.9 seconds, attributing their victory to their dragster’s design.
“I think the aerodynamics of this dragster (helped) because a pointed tip splits the air and the split air comes back around and out again,” said Cutshaw. “So, aerodynamics contributed a lot to what we have done today.”
Carlson and fellow seventh-grader Chris Brennan earned second place with a time of 1.03 sec.
“Overall, it was a success,” said Helmich. “The kids had fun and they were engaged and they got to see STEM at its maximum level, which is the ultimate goal.”
Helmich plans to continue the program at OPMS, and hopes to help aid its expansion and improvement.
“I think next year we’re going to improve,” said Helmich. “I think we can make more aerodynamic designs and make them better, faster and go from there.”