Middle School: Intro to Engineering

Our high school Academy provides a robust four-year program for any high school student who wishes to apply... but what about the younger grades? It is easier than ever for elementary and middle school students to get a handle on engineering and science concepts, both in the classroom and even at home. Along with our established science classes, Providence meets this need with the middle school elective: Intro to Engineering.

This semester, the Intro to Engineering class is following a space exploration theme. Within that framework, the students will explore the history of space travel, structural engineering topics, sensor/motor robotics technology, navigation principles, and coding. One of the first mini "challenges" given to the boys and girls was to design a Mars habitat--all within fifteen minutes!

Students outline their design prior to sharing it with the rest of the class

Presenters opened the floor for questions after their presentation

From there, they looked at an overview of space travel, beginning with Jules Verne's 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon. The last 100 years or so of space exploration were described, culminating in the incredible achievements of 2015: the flyby of Pluto by New Horizons, the Philae comet lander, astronaut Scott Kelly committing to a year on the International Space Station, and much more.

Today, the class completed a hands-on exploration of trusses. A truss is a linked system of thin, light members, that preserves high strength and rigidity for very low weight--highly favoured by space engineers the world over! Our students built their own truss with the classroom LEGO kits, and then made predictions as to which of their truss members were in tension or compression. They replaced the tension members one by one with pieces of string, proving their guesses were correct.

Two of the boys show how tension members in a truss
can be replaced with string

These explorations will pave the way for the eventual design and construction of autonomous robotic systems at the end of the semester. Plenty more projects to come before then, and we'll keep you posted!

MIT Enterprise Forum

Students from our Academy were recently invited to attend the Central Coast MIT Enterprise Forum, a monthly event right here in Santa Barbara that presents on a range of topics relating to business, entrepreneurship, and technology. Kristin Horton of the Haven Capital Group reached out and generously offered to cover charges for any of our seniors or juniors, and Gabriel and Jake (pictured) were only too happy to accept.

(photo by Tys vanZeyl)

The Enterprise Forum has recently tackled such topics as cybersecurity, the technology of disaster relief, and thermal vision (it is an interesting fact that infrared technology is actually an industry strength of Santa Barbara). This month's topic was "Go Big! Go Green!", looking at how businesses can realistically--and profitably--incorporate sustainable practice into their daily operations. Included among the speakers were representatives from Patagonia and Sonos.

On the whole, our boys enjoyed hearing from local industry leaders, making connections, and of course the open buffet! Students from nearby Anacapa School were also invited, all of this being part of the Forum's new student outreach initiative. We're thankful to the Enterprise Forum, and especially to Ms. Horton, and we hope to see more students at these and similar events as opportunities arise.

Jeff Shelton

In the middle of the first quarter, our Engineering Academy students were out on the street--Garden Street, to be precise--sketchbooks in hand, eagerly drawing pictures of interesting architecture. One stand-out building was 819 Garden Street, also known as El Jardin, designed by local architect Jeff Shelton. As the students worked busily to capture the essence of the dynamic lines and tiled surfaces, one of the men working on the building invited them to come in for a quick tour. It turned out to be Jeff himself, and he was only too glad to show the thirteen of them up and down the narrow stairways and towering balconies.

(Photos by Tys vanZeyl)

(Photos by Tys vanZeyl)

More recently, at the beginning of the second semester, the students were again invited to get a glimpse into Jeff's world. He entertained the students for an hour or so in his workshop, showing them his plan drawings, hand-made models, tile samples, and other tools of the trade. The students were glad to hear of his experiences, and the wisdom he had to offer to aspiring designers.

(Photos by Tys vanZeyl)

Jeff also invited the students to come tour his latest construction, also on Garden Street, once it is finished. Stay posted for more!