Midde School Final Challenge Complete!

After weeks of hard work designing, building, and programming a Mars rover, four middle school teams headed out to the gym to put it all to the test. These robots were created entirely from scratch--no instructions, no plans, just the student teams and their own wits! The goal was to create a remote-controlled robot that could collect four 3D printed "Mars rocks" as quickly as possible, using whatever means necessary.

Team 1 (Sam, Cole, Nik, and Pedro) went for an asymmetrical design, driven by two strong rubber wheels in the back. An arm with a claw lowered down on one side to scoop up the rocks, bringing them up and over to drop into a large hopper, with more than enough capacity for all four rocks.

Team 1 presents their design to the class

Team 3 (Conner, Brennan, Isaac, and Tessa) decided to maximize speed and agility above all else. They gave their robot a very simple platform on the front, with a swinging arm to contain a single rock at a time. This meant that they would have to exit and re-enter the circle each time to extract their rocks.

Team 3 shows their simple but fast design

Team 4 (David, Samy, and Belen) went for a longer model with more than enough internal capacity for four rocks. Completely unique to the competition, they designed a "paddle wheel" on the front to sweep the rocks right into the belly of the robot. This all made for more difficult turning, but an efficient collection method.

Team 4 shows the longest design in the competition

Lastly, Team 26 (Todd, Ashlynne, and Deacon) designed a big, bulky robot with both caterpillar tracks and rubber wheels. Team 26 was the only team to employ two computers onboard, to account for their large number of motors. A robot arm reached over the front of the robot to close onto the rocks, before lifting them up into the hopper behind.

Team 26 shows the class their hybrid machine

After a day of presenting and time trials, the students played it out in the gym, with parents and fellow students cheering on. Each team scored at least one victory against someone else, although by the end of the first day, it was clear that Team 3 had an obvious speed advantage. With each round of play, they perfected their technique to get faster and faster!

Mr. Meadth and the crowd look on as Team 26 positions for another run;

Team 4 paddles its way forward unhindered

Brennan and Conner from Team 3 close in on another rock; Todd and Deacon

from Team 26 try to co-ordinate their efforts

Samy from Team 4 takes a turn at the controls while David

and Belen look on

On the second day of competition, the students knew it was time for the eliminations. Team 26 and Team 4 had given the shakiest performances up to this point, although both had won a victory against each other. Fighting for the best of three saw a victory in 1:03 for Team 4, then a victory in 1:15 for Team 26. With scores tied, Team 4 pushed through in their fastest performance yet, with an astounding 0:54. Team 26 eliminated!

Samy, holding three, anxiously waits for the fourth rock to

be collected by David

Ashlynne, having positioned Team 26's robot, looks on as Deacon steers it

toward the goal

In the next elimination round, the bulkier Team 1 faced off against the more agile Team 3. In a quick series of best of three, Team 3 established dominance, putting their fastest time on the board of four rocks in 0:30. Team 1 put in a valiant effort, but could not keep up and was eliminated.

Team 1 scoops up their second rock in the elimination round

Conner from Team 3 positions the robot as Brennan gets ready to make a run for

the pink rock

The very long Team 4 and the very quick Team 3 went through to the final round, for another best of three. Tensions were high, and Team 4 started off strong. Team 3 went straight into their typical repertoire: run in, grab, get out, repeat. Like a well-oiled machine, Team 3 took home a victory in 0:50. In the second of three, Team 4 came close to victory, but Team 3 once again won with 1:12--notabley, not as fast as Team 4's best time. However, a third round showed that, without a doubt, Team 3 deserved the grand prize!

Team 4 (left) and Team 3 fly into action in the final round

Already holding two, Team 4 (left) narrowly misses their next red rock, while

Team 3 closes in on the teal one

The winning students were awarded with gift cards and one of the rocks they had fought so hard to collect. Smiles all round, and we'll see what the Final Challenge had to hold in store next year!

Mr. Meadth congratulates Tessa, Conner, Brennan, and Isaac for a job well done

All the students with their robots at the end of the tournament

Field Trip: CMC Rescue

Last Friday, the Providence Engineering Academy was given the opportunity to visit CMC Rescue in Goleta. CMC Rescue designs, tests, manufactures, and assembles a wide range of safety and climbing gear, such carabiners, pulleys, harnesses and rope. The class was warmly received by Tyler Mayer, their Engineering Manager, along with several other members of the engineering team.

The Providence Engineering Academy meets with Tyler (far left) in the

conference room; Eva (far right) looks over the latest CMC pulley design

After being introduced in the conference room, and letting the students look over some new products, Tyler and the team brought the students backstage into the testing area. Safety glasses on!

The CMC team had arranged for a live materials tensile test, giving our students a chance to see some real design work in action. A bright red 1/2" rope was wrapped securely around two ends of a testing rig, and a hydraulic ram was used to stretch it to the breaking point. To make it more exciting, the students were asked to guess how far the rope would stretch before breaking, and mark it on the machine. They also wrote down how much tensile load they thought it would take.

Students watch the rope being pulled to breaking--note the acrylic shield between

the students and the test specimen!

We're proud to say that Jake in 11th Grade won in both categories, with a ridiculously long length marked off and a tensile load guess of 2,500 lb (more than 11,000 newtons, for us international types). The actual tensile breaking load was around 3,800 lb, which is the weight of a small car! Isabelle, also in 11th Grade, was a close second in the load category at 2,222 lb, so Jake and Isabelle were rewarded with their very own heavy-duty CMC Rescue carabiner—with their name engraved on it by the CMC laser cutter!

The class watches as the rope stretches well past anybody's estimation!

Aaron and Eva watch as the laser cutter works its electromagnetic magic

From there, the class took a walk through the rest of the testing and manufacturing facility. CMC has constructed an impressive indoor "playground", welded together out of shipping containers, that allows them to simulate rescue scenarios (escaping out of a burning building, for example). The students peeked inside to see the network of tunnels and a fake grain hopper. Unfortunately, no volunteer equipment testing was enacted!

Tyler shows the class the indoor equipment testing facility

After passing through the in-house sewing manufacturing zone, the students arrived back in the conference room, and were given the chance to put a new pulley design to the test. A broad steel beam ran the width of the conference room, and Aaron (10th Grade) and Eva (9th Grade) were placed into a typical safety harness, and then hoisted up by their classmates. The mechanical advantage of a compound pulley system was made apparent, multiplying force dramatically.

Eva hoists Aaron off the floor; her force is multiplied by a factor of four, but she

has to pull the rope four times as far

As a final test—not to mention a shameless photo opportunity—the class lifted Mr. Meadth up as well. We're glad to report that the equipment worked as designed!

Mr. Meadth gets a lift!

All good things must come to an end, and this field trip was no exception. Tyler generously gave each student a smaller carabiner as a parting gift, and the students paused for a final photo. We're hopeful that we might once again take a walk through the company facility someday, and in the meantime, the students are energized for the practical design process. Thanks, CMC Rescue!

(All photos by Tys vanZeyl)

Educational Design Project: Part II

Back in March, we described how the students had recently submitted their Educational Design Projects. These student designs were in response to a range of briefs submitted by various Providence teachers, from Bible class to Chemistry to Social Studies to Geometry. We already mentioned Alec's cone/cylinder and pyramid/box volume demonstration, Eva's LEGO robot game piece (we call them "rocks" now instead of "things"!), and Sarah Jane's promotional USB drive. It's now time for an update on the other student projects!

Firstly, we received our shipment from New Matter: three 3D printers and hundreds of dollars of printing expendables. This was won in a grant, with Providence being one of the hundred applicants selected. The students eagerly unboxed the printers and helped set them up, and they have been running hot ever since!

The Engineering Academy students, proudly gathered around the new shipment

Josh shows one of the new Mod-t printers from New Matter,

along with hundreds of dollars of consumable supplies

On to the projects!

Firstly, Jenna was tasked with designing a custom-made stand for Mr. Meadth's secondary computer monitor. She measured the necessary dimensions, and came up with an idea to make anyone happy: a giant mechanical bug... with a smiley face!

Jenna with the completed Bug Monitor Stand; this was

printed in seven different pieces and assembled, adding

to the complexity of the design

The second version of the stand fit perfectly, and is proudly in operation!

Next up was Victor, a 9th Grader who responded to Mr. Beers' request for a model of Solomon's Temple. Mr. Beers wants people to clearly see the temple divisions, with the interior and courtyard. Victor's design includes a removable roof, and Mr. Beers was very happy to see it.

Victor's model of Solomon's Temple, according to the Biblical dimensions

Mr. Beers gladly received Victor's model!

Isabelle in the 11th Grade has been working for a long time on a design for a pencil holder that clips to the edge of a table. Mrs. McLemore asked for an entire set for her class, and Isabelle quickly found that this design depended on making tiny adjustments, in the order of 0.1 mm (0.004 inches). She has submitted seven iterations so far, and we think we are ready for a mass production run! Mrs. McLemore is currently "road-testing" the prototype with her students.

Isabelle's seventh iteration of her pencil clip, shown in its printing orientation

The new Mod-t is the perfect option for rapidly producing smaller items such as these

While we already featured Alec in the previous blog post for this project, Alec was actually given two smaller tasks. After designing and delivering the cone/cylinder and pyramid/box, he went on to create a ten-sided die for Mrs. Hammer's third grade. Mrs. Hammer has received 22 of the dice (we also couldn't resist printing one giant one!), and will be giving Alec feedback shortly.

Alec with his swarm of ten-sided dice

Still to feature before the end of this semester:

• Jake with his middle school engineering gear ratio demonstration
• Colby and his ionic lattice for Mr. Hurt's Chemistry class
• Josh comparing an Egyptian pyramid with a Mesopotamian ziggurat for Mrs. Kleen
• The entries from the NASA "Star Trek Replicator" competition

As always, stay posted!

Middle School Science and Engineering Expo

Providence School launched its Engineering Academy this school year, and it has proved to be a great success. Overseen by Mr. Rodney Meadth, this four-year high school program gives participants a broad experience in the various fields of engineering, with an emphasis on practical service and project-based learning.

In carrying out assignments with real-world applications, students designed an orphanage for partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, taught a science lesson to younger students, and produced custom-designed 3D-printed educational items requested by the school's teachers. Examples of these include geometry volume demonstrations, chemistry molecular models, pyramids and ziggurats for elementary social studies, and even the Academy's own promotional USB drives. They also connected with professionals in the Santa Barbara area, including Moog Space and Defense Group, Praevium Research, and architect Jeff Shelton.

The science lesson taught to the 4th Grade earlier this year; the catapult will
feature again in a hands-on activity at the Science and Engineering Expo!

Engineering Academy students are acting as mentors for Providence's first Middle School Science and Engineering Expo. The Expo showcases a variety of hands-on demonstrations and exhibits, all relating to a theme of space exploration. Aimed at families with upper-elementary aged children and older, guests can interactively explore robotics, chemistry, navigation, interplanetary science, and more.

The Providence Science and Engineering Expo will be held at the school’s Upper Campus on 630 Canon Perdido Street on May 3, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Entry is free, refreshments will be served, and families with children are encouraged to attend.

Middle school students explore the theme of space exploration, coming up
with a conceptual design for a Mars habitat

"I'm excited to show people what we're doing with STEM here at Providence, because it's something unique," says Meadth, who is co-leading the Expo with the middle school science teacher, Nate Alker. "We have a strong engineering and science experience, from a Christian perspective, in the context of the liberal arts. This means that our students understand not only the 'how' of science, but also the ‘why'."

The Providence Engineering Academy is currently accepting applications for next year at all high school grade levels (9-12). Those interested should contact Rodney Meadth at rmeadth@providencesb.org. Browse this blog site to read more stories of projects undertaken and grants awarded and to download a copy of the application packet.

Middle School: AIAA Foundation Grant

Much of the funding for our high school Academy comes in the form of grants, generously donated from a wide range of community sources. Our middle school elective is no different. The 7th and 8th Grade students explore a diverse range of engineering topics—structures, gear ratios, sensor technology, and coding to name a few—and they need technology to do it! Our middle school classroom is well stocked with laptops and LEGO Mindstorms EV3 sets to help them accomplish this.

This semester, the middle school elective is pursuing a space exploration theme (this ties in with our Science and Engineering Expo on the 3rd of May, here at the Upper Campus). In keeping with this theme, the students are learning about navigation; specifically, how do you write algorithms that can guide a robot to a particular destination? How do unmanned spacecraft and planetary exploration robots find their way?

For this navigation unit, we needed to supplement our existing EV3 robots with extra add-ons. We decided to invest in infrared sensors, which are paired with small beacons (both pictured). The beacons either act as a hand-held remote control for the robot, or they can broadcast a signal for the robot can home in on. Both modes involve careful crafting of navigation algorithms that make decisions based on sensory input.

The simple Robot Educator, shown with the infrared sensor attached (the

red/black shape mounted in its center) and two infrared beacons

Mr. Meadth is a member of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), and so was able to apply for an AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant to purchase these needed resources. Twenty different schools were selected for this grant of $250, which is aimed at teachers doing hands-on STEM activities that relate to aviation or aerospace, and we are glad to announce that Providence was one of them. We now have enough sensors and beacons for an entire class—thank you to the AIAA Foundation!

Left to right: Ashlynne, Brennan, and Todd

show the robots, all with IR sensors attached

The middle school students will continue to learn the finer points of using these and other sensors for the rest of the semester. Their final project will be to design and construct their own version of a Mars rover, which will compete in an open-invitation event in early June. We'll keep you posted on this exciting long-term project!

Don't forget to follow this blog to get all the latest on the middle school and high school engineering activities, and please send your questions and comments to Rod Meadth at rmeadth@providencesb.org.

Educational Design Project: Part I

A few weeks ago, we mentioned that the Academy students are working to design actual products to be used by our own Providence teachers, and that a grant from New Matter would provide us with three more 3D printers to help accomplish this. The students submitted their final work today, and we wanted to show a snapshot of some of the pieces.

Alec, a freshman, responded to several small projects, the first of which was to design a close-fitting cone/cylinder and pyramid/box set. These will be given to the Geometry class, as a hands-on experiential proof that the volume of a cone is truly one-third of its enclosing cylinder. Students can place the cone inside the cylinder, and fill up the empty space with rice or beans or beads. When they remove the cone, they will find that exactly two-thirds of the cylinder's volume is still full, meaning the cone took up one-third of the volume. Simple, handy demonstrations like this tend to stick well in a student's mind, and Alec has provided just the tools to do it!

Alec with his cone/cylinder demonstration, destined for the Geometry class

Eva, also in the 9th Grade, responded to a design brief coming from our middle school engineering elective (Eva participated in this elective last year ... and did very well!). At the end of each semester, the middle school students create LEGO robots that attempt to complete a particular challenge. The challenge usually takes the form of collecting or depositing small objects, and we have used coins and foam cubes in the past. Eva is bringing us into the 21st Century with custom-designed 3D-printed hexagonal... things. The "things" are strong enough for an adult to stand on, have gaps and angles that make it easy for the robots to grab on to, are brightly colored for the robot sensors, and are surprisingly light, being mostly hollow. Way to go, Eva!

Eva shows off her game piece for the middle school engineering elective

Gabe, Tys, and Aaron were given permission to respond instead to the "Star Trek Replicator Challenge", a public competition organized by the ASME Foundation and NASA. The three of them are working individually to create food-related items that could be one day 3D printed by astronauts and interplanetary explorers. While this may sound far-fetched, 3D printing is actually an ideal solution for isolated spacemen and spacewomen; if a tool or part breaks, or if you suddenly need more of a particular item, you can produce it at will from CAD plans, which could either be created locally or transmitted from a design team on Earth.

Gabe's product, one section of which is pictured, is a food storage container, made in two pieces, with self-locking tabs. He has also taken the opportunity to learn additional CAD skills, such as running finite element analysis (FEA) to determine crucial stress locations.

We wish Gabe, Tys, and Aaron the very best for their submission to the competition!

A small section of Gabe's NASA food storage solution, with locking tabs

Lastly, sophomore Sarah Jane set about designing the promotional material for next year's Engineering Academy students. This year, we had a simple flat key tag designed by Mr. Meadth; next year, Sarah Jane's design will feature a 32 GB USB drive housed in a hexagonal sheath with the Providence "P" logo proudly emblazoned on the front. Creative and useful!

Sarah Jane's USB drive housing (the final print will be in two colors

and include a 32 GB USB drive)

Part II of this story will come later in the semester, after the students have actually given their printed products to Providence teachers and received feedback. Learning this iterative design loop is a key component of any engineering experience, and the students have taken to it with gusto. Subscribe to this blog to hear about it when it happens!

4th Grade Science Lesson: Catapults!

Let's be honest—if there's one thing everybody loves, it's a good catapult. Few things are more satisfying than choosing one's favorite projectile, pulling back on a spring-loaded arm, shouting some indistinct battle-cry, and letting fly! With such sentiments firmly in mind, the Providence Engineering Academy set off to the Lower Campus to teach the 4th Grade some basic principles of science and engineering—using catapults.

Tossing aside the temptation to settle for table-top miniatures made of popsicle sticks and elastic bands, the Academy constructed three heavy-duty wooden war machines, with four-foot-long launch arms. Many thanks to sophomore Tys vanZeyl for singlehandedly building one of these himself! The design included custom-made 3D-printed cups to hold the tennis ball projectiles.

Fire! 4th Grade students wisely get out of the way

(photo by Tys vanZeyl)

Let's be clear: while catapults are a lot of fun (and only slightly dangerous in the wrong hands), this was no mere game. The purpose of the lesson was to show the 4th Graders how changing the input variables produces different outcomes. In this case, the 4th Graders had control over two input variables: 1) the position of the launch arm's fulcrum, and 2) how far back they pulled the arm. The students recorded their distance for different combinations of the two, in an attempt to understand how they could predictably control the outcome in the future.

The lesson also showed that a more durable cup design was needed in the future.

Oops! The blue 3D-printed cup breaks loose and takes flight

(photo by Tys vanZeyl)

After recording the different outcomes, the games began! The students marked out scoring zones on the range, and the 4th Graders attempted to land their tennis balls in just the right place—referring, of course, to their data in hand.

Gabe and Aaron help the 4th Grade record their data

(photo by Tys vanZeyl)

After three rounds, scores were tied between two teams: the Corn Cats and the Engineering Nerds. The two teams went into a sudden death round, and after a brief struggle, the Engineering Nerds dropped their ball into the zone for a hard-earned win!

The Engineering Nerds win the day!

(photo by Tys vanZeyl)

The Academy students finished the day back in the classroom with a round of discussion and questions, asking the 4th Graders about the two variables, their effect on the outcome, and problems they encountered.

Debriefing back in the classroom

(photo by Tys vanZeyl)

Thanks to all of our stellar Engineering Academy students, who planned and prepared and constructed to make this an amazing experience for the 4th Grade. We hope to get down to the Lower School again this semester, and use our knowledge and passion to invigorate the next generation for math and science and engineering.

'Til next time!