Wednesday, April 29, 2009

VEX Elevation Practice

The April 29th meeting gave the Hawks a chance to see the Elevation competition field. We assembled the practice kit to prototype field elements (like cardboard goals) and sample game objectives.
Matt lays up the shot. It shoots! IT SCORES!









With the field spread out in front of us, the rules started to make sense (like how to "own" a goal). It was our first time seriously reading through the Elevation manual and becoming familiar with all the rules & regulations of the VEX Robotics Competition.



The Protobot was upgraded. It's arm had a new claw installed to manipulate the 3" foam cubes. Design is an iterative process – we'll keep revising and improving our robot until it dominates the competition.
Protobot upgrades








Using the items in the kit allowed a team to get a feel for the Elevation field (without actually possessing a $400 full playing field). We saw first-hand our robot’s stability and center-of-gravity, trying to grab cubes on the center platform with inclined ramps. Kudos to Kyle, as he got the protobot back on it's "feet."

Kyle in control

As a new team, it was a walk-through for what to expect on tournament day in June at SECME Summer Institute. Next up: the Seminole SECME Hawks Teams will have a chance to test their robots and compete against each other.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Rocket Launch at SF Sci Museum - This Saturday!

Launch It from the South Florida Science Museum’s Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It Engineering Competition has been re-scheduled to May 2 (this Saturday), Astronomy Day!

On Wednesday, registration will be open to new contestants on the SFSM webpage, http://www.sfsm.org/dibifili.html. Check-in begins at the SFSM at 9AM on Saturday, May 2, 2009. SFSM admission is free to registrants and up to 2 family members.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

2008-2009 SECME Outstanding Angel of the Year for the School District of Palm Beach County, FL: Edward Batchelor

At the Fifteenth Annual Celebration of Achievement Banquet on Saturday, April 25, 2009, the South Florida Industry Partners For Education recognized Edward Batchelor with the 2008-2009 Palm Beach County Outstanding Angel Award for his outstanding SECME support at the High School level. Congratulations, Mr. Batchelor! Below is his letter of nomination:

Reason for this award: Ed’s angelic assistance with the Seminole SECME program began in 2007 when he would just show up, entering the club’s classroom after school and assisting with the students. Like an angel, his presence at the meetings had a calming effect – both in offering adult supervision to one team submission, and in offering the harried school coordinator a chance to helped make progress and halt regressing. I asked him about it once, and he said he really liked that the school had a club with hands-on activites that applied math. Ed had worked with school’s former Physics teacher on a showcase project of science experimentation and engineering, and he wanted to keep doing that. He found that in SECME.

Delightfully, Ed’s participation involvement got his son involved. Eddie started attending because his father was there, but he rapidly choose SECME over marching band. By the spring, Eddie was on the brain bowl team for the Olympiad, so the brain bowl became a domain that Ed mentored the team of students. Eddie also competed beyond the Olympiad at the South Florida Science Museum’s engineering contest “Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It.” Watching Eddie launch water bottle rockets independent of outside involvement really proved that his dad had engaged him in the SECME style.

Ed has been instrumental to the success of Seminole SECME. For example, it was Ed that helped the students with their technical drawings for Olympiad. The credit goes to him for his work that step by step turned student sketchs on looseleaf into scaled rough drafts, to finished submissions for the competition. At movie matinee fundraisers, Ed is the box office, collecting donations, distributing tickets, and supporting SECME. With water bottle rocketry, he brings real world experience. Ed talks to teenagers about his service in the Air Force, chasing down the space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters. And that time he spends is more than just projectiles and parabolas, it’s career path advice for juniors and seniors to consider.

Ed is always planning big. He wants to work with the students after the Olympiad to build a Focault pendulum on the school’s campus by the media center. He has already helped plan a solar system scale model at starts at Seminole Ridge High and stretches across the entire school district. He has been of great help with the lesson planning for the proportions of the planets and the grant writing for the funding to realize this project.

To recap: Ed’s been invaluable asset this year, a guardian angel of the angles in science, engineering, communication and math at Seminole Ridge.

2008-2009 SECME Student of the Year from Seminole Ridge HS: Kayleigh Previte

(EDITOR'S NOTE - Mr. Willie Johnson with award for Ms. Previte)

At the Fifteenth Annual Celebration of Achievement Banquet on Saturday, April 25, 2009, the South Florida Industry Partners For Education recognized Seminole SECME student Kayleigh Previte as the 2008-2009 SECME Student of the Year from Seminole Ridge High School. The student receiving this award will be chosen by the individual SECME School Coordinators. Criteria for this award are broad and could include such things as: most team spirit, best attendance, hardest worker, or most improved SECME student. The purpose of this award is to recognize an unsung hero, a student who otherwise might not receive an award. One award per school will be given. Congratulations, Kayleigh! Below is part of her letter of nomination:

Reason for this award: I have known Kayleigh as a Physics Honors student, and a member of the school’s SECME club. She is gifted both academically and socially, an outgoing individual with a first rate intelligence. Kayleigh made an incredibly strong first impression when I noticed that in small group work, her natural affinity as a team leader emerged. Her contributions were considered by her classmates, and they (as well as I) recognized her well reasoned conclusions. This continued after school as well, when she joined SECME. In an informal educational setting, she works exceptional well with others on doing hands-on project based learning.

At problem solving, she applies her prior knowledge, supports it with mathematical computation where appropriate, and is ready roll with a practical demonstrations by field testing of her potential solutions. She commands the full range of skills of a great student. She is on task, ready to learn, when the bell sounds. She transitions quickly between working as an individual to group work. I have recommended her for an internship at Scripps this summer, and encourage her to be captain of the SECME team next year.

Further, in addition to being intelligent, she is extremely personable. Her friendliness and cheerful personality make me as a teacher look forward to having her in my class, and participating in SECME’s engineering contests.

2008-2009 SECME Outstanding Student of the Year for Palm Beach County, FL (high school division): Miss Kaitlin Kilpatrick

Go HAWKS!

At the Fifteenth Annual Celebration of Achievement Banquet on Saturday, April 25, 2009, the South Florida Industry Partners For Education recognized Seminole SECME team captain Kaitlin Kilpatrick as winner of the SECME Award for 2008-2009 Outstanding Student of the Year in the High School division. Congratulations, Kaitlin! Below is her letter of nomination:

Name: KAITLIN KILPATRICK Grade: 12

School: SEMINOLE RIDGE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL

Coordinator: ERICH LANDSTROM

Grade Point Average: 3.68 (National Honor Society member)

SECME Participation: Kailtin joined SECME as a junior, and rapidly excelled. She took the leadership role for the P.O.W.E.R. project (Positive Outcomes While Enjoying Reading), where students read and discussed “Rocket Boys” by Homer Hickam. The students were then challenged to master rocket science by designing, constructing, flying, and recovering their handmade, high-powered model rocket with two ‘egg-stronauts’ onboard. Kaitlin transferred those skills into water bottle rocketry, although at the SECME Olympiad that year, she competed in the mousetrap vehicle and the brain bowl competitions. This year, Kaitlin is the Seminole SECME captain for the 2008-2009 team. She calls every meeting to order, directly supervises every team entry. She’s been my right hand, integrating between the club administration and the student participation. Further, she also assists with the Frontier Elementary SECME, and has volunteered on Tuesday afternoons to help them. That’s a two-fer of SECME AND community service!

Luck of the Irish
Kaitlin receiving award from Glenn Cunningham, environmental engineer with Hazen and Sawyer

Community Service: In addition to the National Honor Society service projects, Kaitlin is busy helping critters. She’s cleaned the cages and nursed the nature at Folke Peterson Wildlife Center in Wellington; the Acreage Animal Hospital; and Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League.
Kaitlin also is an Irish stepdancer! Captain Celtic has displayed her riverdance locally in Loxahatchee at the school’s annual multicultural dinner and show hosted by the world language department, and regionally with the traditional Tir Na Greine dance troupe.

When Irish Red Eyes are Smiling
Kaitlin and Wendy Spielmen, K-12 SECME District Coordinator, School District of Palm Beach County, FL



Why the student is deserving of this award: A few months ago, I asked Kaitlin to explain in her own words her interest for the “SECME spotlight” feature of the club’s newsletter. Here is what she wrote:
Being captain of the Seminole Ridge SECME is truly an honor. I came to the meetings last year with a bit of rocketry knowledge under my belt. My interest in the field of science began when a stray model rocket fell into my backyard. My sister had brought it to my attention that she needed help to rebuild it. Slowly it began taking shape, into what would hopefully become a successful launch in the near future. Once the refurbishing was complete, my dad bought my sister her first pack of ‘A’ size engines. On launch day, the sky was a clear blue, and the wind was just right. As my mom counted down, “5…4…3…2…”, my sisters hands hovered excitedly over the battery, the ignition wires trembling. Once she said “ONE!” my sister made contact to the battery and the rocket soared up with a deafening WOOSH! My sisters face gleamed with joy on her hard work, and my face lit up with inspiration. Finding SECME has given me more knowledge than I could ever ask for, has brought me more inspiration, and I’ve had more fun with the activities and club meets than any day at the mall could be. I am proud to be captain of SECME this year, and that young women CAN lead & succeed.


UPDATE 26 April 2010

(left to right)
2009-2010 SECME Outstanding Student of the Year for Palm Beach County, FL (High School division) Shelby Weininger from Seminole Ridge High; Michele Williams, Interim Executive Director at SECME (Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering) headquarters @ Georgia Tech; and 2008-2009 SECME Outstanding Student of the Year for Palm Beach County, FL (High School division) Kaitlin Kilpatrick from Seminole Ridge High.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

SECME Spotlight: Kayleigh Previte

Editors Note - NO PHOTO AVAILABLEKayleigh Previte will be at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida April 15—17th. The 3-day display of exhibits prepared by aspiring scientists and engineers in grades 6-12 showcases some 900 student projects illustrating their research in competition for awards. Kayleigh’s investigation centered on “Does An Antibiotics Mechanism of Action Increase Effectiveness against E. Coli?” The E. Coli bacterium were genetically transformed to resist ampicillin (a semi-synthetic antibiotic). The results were that the E. coli not only showed resistance to ampicillin (as expected), but also to penicillin. And tetracycline! Thus it was determined that yes, antibiotics with entirely different action attacks can be effective against some types of bacteria. The Seminole SECME spotlight shines on her in the Spring 2009 issue of Hawk Talk

"I am honored and very grateful to be a member of Seminole Ridge SECME. This is my first year being involved in SECME. I joined at the advice of my physics teacher and had very little knowledge of what SECME was all about. I have a great passion for science and I have always wanted to pursue a career in the science research field. Since I joined SECME, I have become more knowledgeable of physics, technology and team leadership. I believe this experience has provided me with a competitive edge in comparison to other student college applicants.

"My main research interests are Neurobiology and Microbiology. It is my intention to continue these studies in college and postgraduate work. I feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful program like SECME available at our school.

"For the past two years I’ve worked on a Science Project focusing on antibiotic resistance. I have submitted this project to the Palm Beach County Science fair, both years, and received First place for my project each year.

"SECME is a supportive program at Seminole Ridge and is a great opportunity, I would advise anyone to join. SECME provides an excellent platform from which I can begin to pursue my life goals, those being a career in Science Research and the opportunity to utilize my gifts and passion toward discoveries having positive and practical application in our world.

"I’ve used the opportunity of having a SECME club at our school to its fullest and will bring this experience to each and every facet of my future research, my pursuit of knowledge, and my yearning to make a difference in our world.

DI-BI-FI-LI @ SFSM on Sat., Apr. 25

Drop-It, Build-It, Fly-It, Launch-It (DI-BI-FI-LI) is a design competition in four parts. The Palm Beach County chapter of the Florida Engineering Society tests the engineering skills of junior high and high school students at the South Florida Science Museum in West Palm Beach on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 9 AM to 5 PM. The competition for cash prizes challenges kids to build the unbreakable bridge, create the perfect container to protect a raw egg from a 3-story drop, design the most aerodynamic paper airplane and blast off the ultimate water bottle rocket for max time airborne. Winners of each category and level receive scholarship money. More information, including directions, is available online at http://www.sfsm.org/dibifili.html

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

SECME Awards Banquet on Sat., April 25, 2009

2009 Seminole SECME Award Nominees
The Fifteenth Annual SECME Celebration of Achievement Awards will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm at the Boca Raton Marriott at Boca
Center
(click on link for directions). This gala event honors this year’s Achievement Award recipients and celebrates the past year’s accomplishments. It includes student and coordinator awards, SECME Scholarship Awards, and a very dynamic guest speaker. The following Seminole SECME participants were nominated for exceptional performance:
• SECME Student of the Year: Kaitlin Kilpatrick
• Outstanding Student of the Year: Kayleigh Previte
• Outstanding Angel of the Year: Ed Batchelor
• County Coordinator of the Year: Erich Landstrom

AWIM - Glider Challenge

SAE A World In Motion - Glider Challenge

Alix
SAE International's A World In Motion® (AWIM) is a teacher-administered, industry volunteer-assisted program that brings science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to life in the classroom for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Benchmarked to the national standards, AWIM incorporates the laws of physics, motion, flight and electronics into age-appropriate hands on activities that reinforce classroom STEM curriculum.
Aleen
Students explore the relationship between force and motion.
Alyssa
Students explore the effects of weight and lift on a glider.
Brittany
Students learn the relationships between data analysis and variable manipulations.


Students learn the importance of understanding consumer demands.
Yikes
Through the support of corporations, foundations, volunteers, SAE members and the SAE Foundation, A World In Motion opens a window of possibilities for students as they discover the exciting application of science principles and learn about rewarding engineering, science and technical careers. The students learn to work as a team with their classmates and apply creative problem solving during the activities. GO HAWKS!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Seminole SECME Results for 2008 SECME Palm Beach District Olympiad

Science, Engineering, Communication, Mathematics and Enrichment (SECME) students at Seminole Ridge High School competed in the 2008 Palm Beach County School District Olympiad on March 29, returning with several honors:

• In the category of Balsawood Bridge Building, Liz Camp and Vicki Glass’s structure held 68 pounds before breaking.

• In the category of Water Bottle Rocket, Nick Moore’s and T.J. Gipe’s rocket was airborne for 7.8 seconds.

• In the category of Brain Bowl, the Hawks fell to second-place winners Forest Hill High School.

• Kelsey Chase (essay) and Kaitlin Kilpatrick (poster) earned honors for submissions on the theme “Lighting the Torch to Empower Future Leaders.”

SECME coaches Erich Landstrom and Alison Baird thank the team for a great job.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Film Fundraiser on Wed., May 13th

Movie Matinee at Seminole Ridge High School. You are invited to our full length feature film fundraiser on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 3:30 PM

Transformers

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' Spring 2009 newsletter

In this issue of the Seminole SECME "Hawk Talk" newsletter
- C Our Communication as Seminole SECME wins arts awards at district olympiad
- SECME Spotlight on Kayleigh Previte

Click here to download a PDF issue of the
Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Spring 2009 issue.