Happy Halloween

... and Merry Christmas, courtesy of Mighty Optical Illusions

12 oz of water + 60 psi = 1 good time!

Seminole Ridge SECME at Water Bottle Rocket design seminar, hosted by Discovery Key Elementary in Lake Worth on Saturday, October 30, 2010. Seminar was lead by Mr. Chris Garrett, engineer and long time employee of Pratt Whitney · Rocketdyne.

MythBusters Test VEX

MythBusters Test VEX

MythBusters Test the VEX Robotics Design System: In this full online article taken from the Winter 2005 issue of Robot Magazine, The Mythbusters Jamie Hyneman, Adam Savage, and Grant Imahara build a model of the military's PackBot using the VEX™ Robotics Design System.

BONUS REPORT: Grant Imahara discusses engineering details of the VEX "PackBot" project. This online exclusive Includes many extra photos that wouldn't fit in the magazine.

Rocket Research - Saturday, October 30

Water Bottle Rocket design seminar on Saturday, October 30th from 9 AM to 1 PM, at Discovery Key Elementary, 3550 Lyons Rd., Lake Worth, FL. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the seminar.

Directions: I-95 to 10th Ave. N. Go west to Jog Rd. South on Jog to Lake Worth Rd. West on Lake Worth Rd. to Lyons Rd. North on Lyons. School is on the right--past entrance to Cypress Woods development.

FES Speakers on Oct. 27: Edwin Tamang, Kevin Vickers and Jim Kunard

left to right: Kevin Vickers, Jim Kunard, and Edwin Tamang of the Florida Engineering Society
Edwin Tamang, the Outstanding Civil Engineering Analyst and Kevin Vikers, Engineering Analyst, Roadway Design at Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., were the guest speaker for Seminole SECME on Wed., Oct. 27 at 3 PM. Tamang is an airport engineer, and provides services such as runway rehabilitation and taxiway design as part of an aviation team all around Florida. He is a recent graduate of California State Polytechnic University, in Pomona, CA, and volunteers on the scholarship committee of Florida Engineering Society, PBC chapter.

Something To Be Proud Of

Seminole Ridge SECME took first place at the Miami VEX Round Up tournament on Saturday, October 23, 2010, and we qualified for the 2011 VEX Robotics World Competition World Championship this spring!

Congratulations to freshman Conner Piegaro, leader of the Blue Alliance. Our school’s robot “BB” ranked second out of the 25 teams competing at Belen Jesuit Preperatory School. At the end of regular play, we stood near the top with three wins and one tie. During the playoffs, Conner put together the winning trio of teams, made from PiraTech from Palm Beach High School in Melbourne, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, and Seminole SECME from Seminole Ridge High School in Loxahatchee. The Blue Alliance advanced to the finals and won the best two out of three (the final game score was 47 to 11).

Mission Patch Explorers Games

Just to start brainstorming about the water bottle rocket mission patch.

Click on the different parts of the mission patches to learn about the mission and the crew. The items on NASA's mission patches have a lot of meaning. Use the interactive features to learn about them.

Miami VEX Round Up Qualifier hosted at Belen Jesuit

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for registering for the Miami VEX qualifier hosted at Belen! We are very excited about the competition this Saturday. I know that it will be a great success for everyone! Before the competition starts, we have a few things that you should know.

Parking

Far Flung Fliers

Congratulations to Seminole SECME students Daniel Ingelias and Deanna Beckham. Daniel and Deanna won first place yesterday during the hoop glider ans SAE AWIM competitions respectively, with far flung flyers that flew 29 feet 6 inches.

Always do the knight thing.

Congratulations to SECME Captains Cindy Dosch and Brian Bartels on being accepted to the University of Central Florida!

Cindy Dosch
In the Spring 2010 issue of Hawk Talk, this what Cindy had to say in the SECME Spotlight:

"I’m really proud to be a participating member of SECME. I can honestly say that before this year, science and engineering were not as involved in my life as it is now. The theme, “Igniting Minds Through STEM Education”, is so much more than a simple phrase to me; it’s really a description of what happened to my mind this year because of SECME. I became inspired to become more involved within the science community and ultimately, my school. I can still remember going to the STEMinars, being chosen as leader of the banner project, and flying my first water bottle rocket with my team-one that set a new record of 11 seconds. I honestly like this club because of the fact it has so much to offer. Not only does one get to see the science in action and have the opportunity to truly comprehend it, it provides opportunity in other fields such as art. So join SECME, get smart, have fun! =D"
Brian Bartels
In the Fall 2010 issue of Hawk Talk, the SECME Spotlight shines on Brian:

"Learning about the natural world around me has always been a passion of mine. From a young age my mind was focused on the natural phenomena in my own backyard, particularly biology and chemistry. Iconic scientific figures such as Bill Nye and Jeff Corwin inspired me to continue my dreams of one day becoming a scientist so I could build a better tomorrow. As my grade level grew so did my interest in the sciences, classes in high school such as earth/space science, biology, and chemistry broadened my horizons on the intricacies and potential a scientific mind could provide. Programs such as the Biotechnology Academy made spectacular connections between science and technology while clubs like SECME blew my mind away with up-close and tangible experiments that not only provided a scientific lesson but a way to interact and have fun with my peers who share the same interests. There is nothing quite like the rush of seeing your own, handmade water bottle rocket shoot up into the blue sky and letting the beauty of science take its course. I plan on graduating from Seminole Ridge and going on to attend the University of Florida. While there I want to earn my B.S. in zoology and minor in Chemistry. After that I wish to go to UF’s Veterinary Medicine College where I would earn my D.M.V. (Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine) and open my own practice here in the state of Florida."

White House Science Fair 2010

President Barack Obama gets down on his hands and knees as he looks at the inner workings of a robot that plays soccer, built by a team from Pennsylvania, as he tours science projects on display in the State Dining Room of the White House. President Obama hosted the White House Science Fair for winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions. October 18, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Remarks by the President at White House Science Fair

President Obama speaks about the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to the country’s economic future after viewing exhibits from science fair winners from across the country: "Now, if that doesn’t inspire you -- if that doesn’t make you feel good about America and the possibilities of our young people when they apply themselves to science and math, I don’t know what will."

Superhydrophobic Nanotubes

Over the past few decades, superhydrophobic (massively water repelling) materials have attaracted a lot of interests, due to their numerous practical applications. Among various superhydrophobic materials, carbon nanotube arrays have gained enormous attentions simply because of their outstanding properties. The impact dynamic of water droplet on a superhydrophobic carbon nanotube array is shown in this fluid dynamics video.

Thoughtware.TV - Water Droplet Bouncing on a Superhydrophobic Carbon Nanotube Array

Engineering the Future: Technical Drawings

Technical drawing, also known as drafting, is the technique of creating engineering drawings done with compasses, rulers, and computers. Coach Ed Batchelor has created a pamphlet on technical drawing to introduce SECME students to technical drawing. Click here for the Technical Drawing for SECME submissions PDF.
Click here for a fast, Flash based introduction from Engineering the Future. I especially like how EtF handles orthographic projections.

Drawings which contain all the information needed to make the object you have designed, including dimensions and details of components, materials and assembly instructions, are called working drawings. Although working drawings for simple products may sometimes be done in isometric or planometric projection, the normal drawing technique for working drawings is orthographic projection. The BBC GCSE Bitesize has more.

Best. Meeting. Ever.

Seminole Ridge symmetry

Technical drawing - mousetrap vehicle
VEX Round Up practice
technical drawing - water bottle rocket
technical drawing - water bottle rocket
banner
banner
banner
I heart SECME

NASA Selects Astronaut Leland D. Melvin to Lead Office of Education

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced Tuesday the selection of Leland D. Melvin as the agency's new associate administrator for education, effective immediately.

Since April 2010, Melvin has been assigned to the Office of Education at Headquarters leading the Education Design Team. His job was to develop a strategy to improve NASA's education offerings and to assist the agency in establishing goals, structures, processes and evaluation techniques to implement a sustainable and innovative science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education program. He also served as the partnership development manager for the agency's new Summer of Innovation education initiative, aimed at engaging middle school students in STEM activities during the summer break.

UPDATE: design seminar date change

Water Bottle Rocket Design Seminar on Saturday, October 30th from 9 AM to 1 PM, at Discovery Key Elementary, 3550 Lyons Rd., Lake Worth, FL. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the seminar.

Directions: I-95 to 10th Ave. N. Go west to Jog Rd. South on Jog to Lake Worth Rd. West on Lake Worth Rd. to Lyons Rd. North on Lyons. School is on the right--past entrance to Cypress Woods development.

Back In Black - Education Crisis

Comedian Lewis Black covers America's education crisis on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Back in Black - Education Crisis
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Better, Faster Cars

Mousetrap Vehicle Design Seminar. Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 9 AM to 1 PM. Thank you our hosts, H.L. Johnson Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach, FL.

I say "Seminole," You say "Ridge!"

SECME students are challenged to create a "mousetrap car" that can be entered into the annual engineering Olympiad contest. The spring of a mousetrap stores a considerable amount of potential energy when it is pulled back and its tension is increased. When released, this energy is transformed into the kinetic energy of movement, making the mousetrap the perfect "motor" for a homemade car. As the trap closes, the metal bar pulls a string that has been wound around the axle of the mousetrap car. This causes the axle and attached wheels to spin, propelling the car forward. While many aspects of the car's design can change (for example, including a gear transmission) this is the basic method of movement.

Science • Simple machines • Force and motion • Newton’s laws
Engineering • Technological design • Data analysis and prediction • Materials science
Math • Circumference • Ratios • Measurements
MTVs also help students practice cooperative behavior, develop spatial awareness, and learn to budget time.

SECME school coordinator Mr. Erich Landstrom is very proud of the work done by the students. GO HAWKS! Thank you to our hosts H.L. Johnson Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach, FL, SECME district coordinator Mr. Bruce Wear, Mr. Glenn Cunningham, P.E. and the engineers from Hazen and Sawyer.