Happy New Year 2013

NASA Johnson Style (Gangnam Style Parody)

And while I'm at it...

FPL Generator Challenge research & resources

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/build-micro-hydropower-generator-repurposed-printer-parts.html

http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2010/03/09/build-small-scale-hydroelectric-generator/#.UNNKguQ1nTo

Let's Plan for VEX Next Year!

Each season’s VRC game is a complex challenge for teams to design and build a robot for. Each year a new game is released in April; students design and build robots throughout the year, competing at local events. 

But certain game aspects repeat themselves, year after year. Team 1614 has been playing VRC five years now:

• VRC Season 2012-2013 Sack Attack 
• VRC Season 2011-2012 Gateway 
• VRC Season 2010-2011: Round Up 
• VRC Season 2009-2010: Clean Sweep 
• VRC Season 2008-2009: Elevation

At today's meeting, we made a list of some of those aspects. It is reasonable to predict that whatever robot is designed for VEX next year will need to address these challenges:

• FIELD ELEMENTS - Many game objects
• FIELD ELEMENTS - Height Challenge of different sized goals
• FIELD ELEMENTS - Different sized game objects
• FIELD ELEMENTS - Played on foam mats
• AUTONOMOUS MODE - tape on the field requires sensor(s) to follow tape
• AUTONOMOUS MODE Followed by DRIVER MODE
• DRIVER CONTROL MODE - Assisting our alliance partner if overturned
• STRATEGY - How to score/descore objects
• STRATEGY - Organization! A place for everything. Don't waste time looking
• STRATEGY - Alliance selection scouting reports
• STRATEGY - Selling ourselves, advertising for alliance partners in playoffs
• STRATEGY - Interview with Judges
• STRATEGY - Have fun!

LET’S PLAN FOR VEX NEXT YEAR! SOLUTIONS
Next year's robot should be versatile enough to address those challenges with some core design philosophy:

• ROBOT BASE - Holonomic base, Omnidirectional wheels
• ROBOT BODY - Low Center of Gravity
• ROBOT BODY- Scissor Lift
• ROBOT BODY - Motors in bottom
• ROBOT BODY - Battery Access, add weight to bass
• ROBOT BODY - Short telescoping arms for hard to reach heights
• STRATEGY - 2nd controller
• STRATEGY - photos of other team robots -- what's working for them?

Remember the 7 Ps: Prior planning and practice prevents piss poor performance!

20121209 VEX Sack Attack at Gulliver Prep

(Click on the first picture to flip through a photostream of 2012 VRC "Sack Attack" South Florida Championship at Gulliver Prep)

Seminole Ridge SECME students competed in the South Florida Championship of the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami on Sunday, December 9.

Seminole Ridge VRC Team 1614 consisted of robot driver Jesse Mendheim, and field scout Mitch Lafferty. To prepare for the competition, the group designed and built a robot (affectionately nicknamed  “Sack Sucker”) that could quickly and efficiently solve the specific obstacles and challenges in playing VRC Sack Attack.

The action-packed day required middle and high school students to execute VEX Sack Attack, a game that is played on a 12’x12’ square field. Two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a fifteen-second autonomous period followed by  one-minute forty-five seconds of driver-controlled play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent alliance by scoring bean-bag like sacks in goals, earning bonus points and ‘parking’ robots at the end of a match.

Our students competed with and against 40 teams from across the state—Melbourne to Miami, Bradenton to Boca. The Hawks finished the qualifying rounds with a record of 3 wins, 5 losses, and missed making the playoffs. But coaches Erich Landstrom and Ed Batchelor are proud of their team taking what they’ve learned in the afterschool SECME program and applying it in an academic sport. Landstrom pointed out that building and programing a competition robot from the ground up, they are developing critical skills for the workforce including hard work, team work, collaboration and leadership: “We are building more than robots here, we are shaping inventors and innovators.”

Each week, Seminole SECME students apply what they‘ve learned about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to build the semiautonomous VEX machines. And through the competition students learn an equally important skill set: communication, project management, site management, and composure, working together on a variety of challenges and obstacles requiring problem-solving skills.

Our SECME VRC team must raise funds to cover the cost of robot parts, competition entry fees, and transportation expenses. Support them this holiday season—make a matching gift at http://tinyurl.com/AdoptSeminoleSECME. All gifts are welcome! 

WISH (Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars)

NASA is Accepting Applications for the WISH (Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars) Program – Apply by January 3, 2013 (HS Junior Females)

NASA wants you to become the engineers, scientists, researchers and innovators of tomorrow. The WISH project offers a one-of-a-kind experience for female high school students to jump start your future and explore the possibilities of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related major or career.

WISH wants female high school juniors from across the country to participate in our pilot project! Your adventure starts with an online community and culminates with a summer experience at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Summer, 2013.
Applicants need to be:
o    U.S. citizens
o    Current female high school juniors during the 2012-2013 school year
o    Interested and excited about STEM
o    Committed to a one-year relationship with JSC; and
o    Able to access to the Internet and email (at home, school or public library)
o    A scholar with a cumulative GPA of 3.25/4.0 or higher
NASA is accepting applications for an excellent program for high school juniors:
The WISH (Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars) is a great opportunity for girls in their junior year of high school who are interested in STEM careers. WISH is accepting online applications through January 3, 2012. For more information, visit http://www.wish.aerospacescholars.org/apply.

An Opportunity to Support SECME!

An Opportunity to Support SECME Programs   SECME, Inc.

Dear SECME Supporter, Housed on the campus of Georgia Tech, SECME will be participating in Georgia Gives Day on December 6, 2012. Your contribution will help us to address the increasing financial issues affecting educators and students in SECME programs. Your contribution, as little as $10, will go a long way in helping the SECME National Office to assist SECME programs across the country. Your contribution allocation will be limited to enhancing funding to send a teacher to the Annual SECME Summer Institute, supporting SECME Student Engineering Competitions, or providing additional funds to support SECME EP² parenting programs. Mark your calendars or DONATE TODAY! We appreciate our donors and supporters, Michele Williams SECME Interim Executive Director www.secme.org secme@coe.gatech.edu What: Georgia Gives Day When: Tuesday, December 6 Where: Online at Georgia Gives Day Help us get the word out that a donation during Georgia Gives Day is not limited to Georgia and is not limited to only making donations on December 6. Tell your friends! Forward this email! Share it on Facebook and Twitter! Mark your calendars or DONATE TODAY! Thank you for all you do for our SECME community!

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How to Teach the Metric System

Technical Drawing for SECME submissions

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.

NASA for Kids: Intro to Engineering

Palm Beach Atlantic U. Math Competition

Below is a link to a diagram of the Palm Beach Atlantic Campus. The contest will be in the second floor of #24 on the map. Guides will be there to direct you to the registration area. Parking could be in the lot on the corner of Dixie and Pembroke, west of #24, in the lot just east of #24 off Okeechobee Blvd, or in the Parking Garage at the corner of Dixie and Pembroke. The gate code for the parking garage is two-two-four-six-star. Registration will begin Saturday morning at 8:00 am, with introductions and directions starting at 8:30 am. There will be coffee, juice, and muffins/danish available from 8-8:30. Also, lunch will be provided after the third and final round of the contest. Calculators are permitted, but cellphones need to be turned off and not used during testing. I look forward to seeing you and your students on Saturday morning.

https://a248.e.akamai.net/akamai-cache.trustedpartner.com/docs/library/PalmBeachAtlanticUniversity2010/PDFS/Parents%20Council/NewMap1.pdf

Dr. Steve Selby
Mathematics and Computer Science Department Chair
Palm Beach Atlantic University

Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Fall 2012

In the Fall 2012 issue of the Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk'  newsletter

- Engineering Family Fun Day (EF2D) 2012: Maps, Math, Magnets and Mars
- South Florida Science Museum Signals Space Station, Astronaut answers Palm Beach Students Questions
- Figure This! KenKen — Puzzles That Make You Smarter
- SECME Spotlight: Priscilla Cerqueira
- XCKD.COMics “1125—Objects in Mirror (Edwin Hubble's Car)”
- Hawks Host Water Rocket Seminar at Acreage Library
- Adopt Seminole SECME online: thank you to our sponsors

Click here to download the attached PDF copy of our Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Fall 2012 issue
Hawk Talk Fall 2012

EF2D: Maps, Math, Magnets and Mars

Seminole Ridge SECME inspired an interest in the areas of science, engineering and math during the fifth annual Engineering Family Fun Day was held Saturday, November 3rd in Dreher Park, in West Palm Beach. Students and their families, teachers and counselors enjoyed a fun-filled, free educational event focusing on opportunities available in engineering. Each of the eight sponsored booth presented a hands on engineering related activity by which the students, parents, and engineers can interact with each other. For example, the Water Bottle Rocket involves aerospace engineering.

Last year, Seminole Ridge SECME students challenged children to learn the physics of projectiles by making a popfly launcher with paint stirrers, a PVC pipe coupler and a ping pong ball. The mini-catapults were sponsored in part by Lowe's Home Improvement of Royal Palm Beach, store #0654.

This year, SECME students senior Sam Smith and his brother freshmen Nick Smith, and coach Erich Landstrom invited event attendees to learn a little more about maps, math, magnets and Mars, by becoming “Inspector Detectors”.

Families had to make a magnetic field detector from simple objects like steel wool, scissors, and scraps of cardboard. They used their magnetometers to map for the magnetic anomalies, like the upcoming MAVEN mission to the planet Mars. People who correctly predicted the locations of magnets hidden beneath a model of Mars received a passport stamp and a piece of candy. The "Inspector Detector" activity was adapted from the upcoming “Beyond the Moon” guide written for NASA by the PBS show Design Squad.

The Society of Women Engineers Southeast Florida Section and the Palm Beach Alumni Extension of the National Society of Black Engineers are co-hosts.  The goal is to inspire an interest in the areas of STEAM (science, technical, engineering, artistry and math) fields in students in grades four through 12.
 

20121103 EF2D

(Click on the first picture to flip through a photostream of Seminole SECME at Engineering Family Fun Day 2012)

EF2D 2012 - Engineering Family Fun Day

The fifth annual “Engineering Family Fun Day” will be held Saturday, November 3 from 10AM – 2PM in Dreher Park – Pavilion 3 (across from the Dreher Park Zoo) in West Palm Beach. Palm Beach County students, along with their families, teachers and counselors will enjoy a fun filled and educational event. The events’ main focuses are on educating the community on the opportunities available in engineering and inspire an interest in the areas of math and science in students from 4th to 12th grade.

The Society of Women Southeast Florida Section and the Palm Beach Alumni Extension of the National Society of Black Engineers are co-hosts.  This event will increase the students’ as well as their parents’, teachers’, and counselors’ awareness and knowledge of engineering and other technical fields.

The event will involve eight booths. Each sponsored booth will present a hands on engineering related activity by which the students, parents, and engineers can interact with each other. For example the Bottle Rocket involves aerospace engineering and Making Polymers involves science and chemistry.

The EF2D event involves sponsored booths. Each sponsor presents a hands on engineering related activity by which the students, parents, and engineers can interact with each other. For example, the Bottle Rocket booth teaches students aerospace engineering and the Making Polymers booth involves chemistry. Last year, Seminole Ridge SECME students challenged children to learn the physics of projectiles by making a popfly launcher with paint stirrers, a PVC pipe coupler and a ping pong ball. The minicatapults were sponsored in part by Lowe's Home Improvement of Royal Palm Beach, store #0654.

This year, Seminole SECME will make magnetic field maps of Mars. Then the participants make "field detectors" from simple objects to predict the locations of the fields. The big idea of this demonstration is that the Sun and planets have different magnetic properties. Sunspots are related to magnetism on the sun. Earth has a strong simple magnetic field with two poles. But Mars has no magnetosphere!
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Solar_System_Magnetism.html
http://mgs-mager.gsfc.nasa.gov/kids/magfield.html

(Click on the first picture to flip through a photostream of 2011 EF2D)

We challenge you to…

…build a device that can that you can pass above a surface and detect magnetic fields.

1.    Brainstorm and Design

• How can you make sure that the metal shards stay in your detector and not fall off?

· How can you make it easy to see when the metal shards move?

· How will you hold the detector as you move it above the surface?

2.    Build

Invent your own designs.

3.    Test

· Try out your detector. At our booth, use the small magnet to test how well your detector works.

· Find the hidden magnets. Take your detector to the newspaper grid. (it represents a map of Mars' surface.) Find the magnets by slowly passing your detector over the grid, one section at a time.
· Map the magnets. Using the grid lines to identify the locations, mark each magnet with a dot on your map (NOT on the newspaper).

4.    Evaluate and Redesign

· If it’s hard to see the shards move… Design a window or remove parts that block your view.

· If your detector doesn’t respond… Check that you have enough metal shards and that nothing is interfering with how they move. Also check that you’re not holding it too far above the surface.

5.    Go Further

• Upgrade your detector. Make it sensitive enough to work six inches above the surface.
• Magnet Treasure Hunt. You’re surrounded by magnets! Use your detector and see how many invisible fields you can find. Check things like speakers and electric motors.

20121020 SECME Water Rocket Design Seminar

Click on the first picture to flip through a photostream of October 20, 2012 SECME Water Rocket Design Seminar in the Acreage)

The Seminole Ridge SECME (science-engineering-communication-math education) club hosted a model rocket design seminar on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at the Acreage Branch Library, with launches at Acreage Community Park - 50 students, 15 school coordinators, 25 parents, and 2 district administrators attend the day long event to work on water rockets. Coaches Ed Batchelor and Erich Landstrom provided Palm Beach County students with the place, the parts and the prompts for their Olympiad entries.

Working in teams, SECME students constructed a simple water rocket from two-liter soft drink bottles and other materials. The bottle has a nose cone for streamlining and fins for stability. The rocket is powered by air pressure and water, and judged by longest hang time. Seminar students easily achieved flights of six seconds, with an record of 7.2 seconds of air aloft hang time for the day.

UPDATE: I received this feedback from teacher Liz Wenk, at West Boca Raton Community High School

Hi!
I just wanted to thank you so much for the water rocket workshop on Saturday.  It was extremely informative and also fun!
I forgot to turn in the evaluation form, but that is basically the feedback I can offer.  I came in with little knowledge of how the competition would work, and by the time that I left I felt comfortable using the equipment at our school.  My students loved it and definitely have a better idea of what direction they want to take in designing their rocket.
Thanks again for a well planned and executed workshop... I look forward to the ones to come!

In the SECME program, students are required to design, build, and test a variety of engineering research projects throughout the year. SECME student teams will construct water bottle rockets from two-liter soft drink bottles and other materials to launch for maximum hang time. The rocket is powered by air pressure and water. Essays, artwork, and banners communicating student interpretations of this year’s theme, “THINK it's imPOSSIBLE? THINK sySTEMatically. THINK SECME!” will be displayed and judged. The engineering Olympiad competition in February is the culmination of projects completed as a result of classroom activities, and of students, parents, and teachers participating in Saturday engineering design seminars. Design seminars familiarize students with the events in the annual Olympiad completion. They provide the people, the place, and the parts to work on SECME submissions.

DJ Earworm - Music For Sport - Victory

Engineering Family Fun Day Promotes Interest In Math and Science

On Saturday, November 3rd, Seminole SECME will be participating in the fifth annual “Engineering Family Fun Day” in Dreher Park – Pavilion 3 (across from the Dreher Park Zoo) in West Palm Beach. The Society of Women Southeast Florida Section and the Palm Beach Alumni Extension of the National Society of Black Engineers are co-hosts.

The event will involve eight booths. Each sponsored booth presents a hands on engineering related activity by which the students, parents, teachers, councelors and engineers can interact with each other. For example, the Bottle Rocket involves aerospace engineering and Making Polymers involves science and chemistry. SECME will be presenting "Inspector Detector" from the upcoming Design Squad "Beyond the Moon" guide.

We challenge you to…

…build a device that can that you can pass above a surface and detect magnetic fields.

1.    Brainstorm and Design

• How can you make sure that the metal shards stay in your detector and not fall off?

· How can you make it easy to see when the metal shards move?

· How will you hold the detector as you move it above the surface?

2.    Build

Invent your own designs.

3.    Test

· Try out your detector. At our booth, use the small magnet to test how well your detector works.

· Find the hidden magnets. Take your detector to the newspaper grid. (it represents a map of Mars' surface.) Find the magnets by slowly passing your detector over the grid, one section at a time.
· Map the magnets. Using the grid lines to identify the locations, mark each magnet with a dot on your map (NOT on the newspaper).

4.    Evaluate and Redesign

· If it’s hard to see the shards move… Design a window or remove parts that block your view.

· If your detector doesn’t respond… Check that you have enough metal shards and that nothing is interfering with how they move. Also check that you’re not holding it too far above the surface.

5.    Go Further

• Upgrade your detector. Make it sensitive enough to work six inches above the surface.
• Magnet Treasure Hunt. You’re surrounded by magnets! Use your detector and see how many invisible fields you can find. Check things like speakers and electric motors.

20121018 Popfly Launcher

Click on the first picture to flip through a photostream of 2012 Popfly Launcher)

Pop-Fly Launcher.
 http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/pop-fly/

Summary:

In this lesson, student teams in grades 3 – 12 will explore the engineering design process by building a device that can launch a ping-pong ball high enough for them to catch it. We challenge students to make something that launchs a ball high enough for them to catch it, using the materials and their feet.

Learning Objectives: After this activity, students will understand how levers convert a small motion into a large motion, and how engineers consider resource constraints and the laws of physics when developing and improving their designs.

Common Core State Standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.SRT.D.11 Understand and apply the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines to find unknown measurements in right and non-right triangles (e.g., surveying problems, resultant forces).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, defining the question the author seeks to address.

20121017 Raingutter Regatta

(Click on the first picture to flip through a photostream of 2012 Raingutter Regatta)


Gotta Regatta Raingutter Race: Seminole Ridge HS physics students were challenged to make the fastest ferry for a Ping-Pong passenger. Using limited supplies teams had to design and build a boat that travels across a container of water.

Complete challenge is available here:
https://a629d397-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/seminolesecme/curriculum-of-the-consortium/2012LowesLBSTrulesRaingutterRegatta.pdf


The Raingutter Regatta Racde is adapted the Design Squad "Watercraft" and "Paddle Power" activities.
http://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/resources/watercraft.html
http://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/resources/paddle_power.html

Mousetrap Vehicle Calculations for Design Excellence

Mousetrap Vehicle Calculations for Design Excellence

There are two main stages of travel for mousetrap vehicles (MTV). The first is the powered stage and the second is the coasting stage. There is a possible third stage that should be avoided by careful routing of the string – the breaking stage – since this will reduce distance but with no positive offsetting effect.

Since the powered stage accounts for the majority of the distance and the time used, it is wise to optimize this phase. To begin the design, we’ll ignore length and weigh considerations (but they should be evaluated as part of the final MTV design). Once the initial design is complete, trade-offs and improvements can be made.

To calculate distance under power for an existing MTV design, you determine how many times the wheel will rotate and multiply that by its circumference to get total distance. If the vehicle does not perform as anticipated then you can look for losses due to slippage and other factors, or perhaps a math error. Include units in all calculations to avoid use of conflicting units (dimensional analysis).
https://sites.google.com/site/seminolesecme/curriculum-of-the-consortium/Mousetrap%20Vehicle%20Calculations%20for%20Design%20Excellence.pdf
based on a 2011 SECME Saturday Design Seminar originally presented at Pine Jog Elementary School.

Moneyville at CSX

Children’s Science Explorium’s new exhibit now open!

The new traveling exhibit Moneyville is now open! Moneyville uses the fascinating subject of money to build math skills and promote economic literacy in a fun and immersive urban landscape. Moneyville is open through January 13 during regular Explorium hours. There is a suggested donation of $5 per person www.ScienceExplorium.org.

Math Midway at MODS

Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale, FL

January 26 through May 5, 2013

The Math Midway begins 2013 with a first-time appearance in Florida at the Museum of Discovery and Science, a museum with more than 200 interactive science exhibits.



Dive into a world of mathematics with the highly interactive exhibit Math Midway. Students will be learning math as they pedal a smooth-riding, square-wheeled tricycle; create interesting pen and ink drawings using the Mysterious Harmonograph; or produce a distinct calliope tune with the Organ Function Grinder. Math Midway offers a plethora of enlightening and fun mathematical puzzles —all while learning the science behind each unique exhibit.

Can You KenKen?

KenKen is a logic puzzle that involves arithmetic. Similar to SuDoku, KenKen will exercise your mind as you fill in the blanks. KenKen is a game that helps students improve their calculation skills, logical thinking and persistence. The goal is to fill a grid with numbers so that no number appears more than once in any row or column. In addition, the numbers must combine to form a target number using a specific operation of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

KenKen logic puzzles were first invented in Japan by Tetsuya Miyamoto, promoted as “Kashikoku Naru Puzzle” or the "Makes You Smarter" puzzle. With the main goal to improve students’ cognitive abilities in mind, he developed a brain stimulating exercise that would be understandable, fun and challenging for students of all levels.

KenKen emphasizes logical thinking and problem solving in the context of basic operations. The math puzzle improves numeracy skills and logical thinking, and develops concentration, perseverance and stamina. The puzzle’s universality, with an array of difficulty levels and no language, gender or age requirements, allows all students the chance to participate.

The puzzle is used to teach Common Core mathematical processes and is prominently featured on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Illuminations website. (NCTM is the world's largest organization devoted to math education). KenKen puzzles can also be played for free at http://www.KenKen.com.

The KenKen Classroom Program (KKCR) is a weekly set of puzzles that range in size from 3x3 to 5x5 grids, with two 6x6 teamwork puzzles, sent as PDF to teachers once a week, usually on Sundays. The puzzle sets are carefully selected to ensure that they are fit for all class levels and skill levels, from gifted children as well as for students with learning disabilities!

Rules for KENKEN
1. Every square in the grid will contain one number. In a 4 x 4 puzzle, use the numbers 1–4. In a 5 x 5 puzzle, use the numbers 1–5.
2. Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 3 (easy) or 1 through 5 (challenging). Do not repeat numbers in any row or column.
3. A cage is a heavily outlined set of squares. Every cage has a target number in the upper left corner. The numbers in the squares inside a cage must combine to produce the target number using the given operation in any order to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.
4. Freebies: Cages with just one square should be filled in with the number in the top-left corner. This is a good place to start solving the puzzle.



KENKEN and the Common Core CCSS.Math.Content.HSA-CED.A.1 Create equations and inequalities in one variable and use them to solve problems.
CCSS.Math.Content.HSA-CED.A.4 Rearrange formulas to highlight a quantity of interest, using the same reasoning as in solving equations.

AES Engineers Scholarship Deadline Oct. 5

Scholarship Deadline - October 5, 2012


We will be awarding $500 to the winner(s) each year.

Application Process

Students will submit an essay on one of the two topics that appear on the scholarship page of our web site http://www.aesengineers.com/scholarships.htm Full details are available on our site.

Seminole SECME Seminar on Water Rockets 10/20

WATER BOTTLE ROCKET SEMINAR
Hosted by Seminole Ridge SECME

WHEN: Saturday, October 20, 2012 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

WHERE: The Acreage Branch Library is on Orange Blvd. just east of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, behind the Publix Super Market. For directions, visit http://www.pbclibrary.org/branch-acr.htm.
We will be launching around 1 PM at Acreage Community Park just down the road, 140th Ave & 67th St N. (weather permitting). Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the event sites. Elementary and middle school students must be accompanied by an adult (either chaperon or parent).

WHY: Working in teams, students construct a simple bottle rocket from two-liter soft drink bottles and other materials. The rocket is powered by air pressure and water, and judged by longest hang time.

WHAT TO BRING: (2) 2 LITER BOTTLES (PER STUDENT REQUIRED), PACKAGING TAPE, PARTY HATS, FIN MATERIAL (SUCH AS FOAM DISPOSABLE DINNER PLATES, CORRUGATED PLASTIC (NOT CARDBOARD) FROM CAMPAIGN SIGNS, PERMANENT MARKER, MEASURING TAPE OR RULER, SCISSORS, NEWSPAPERS.

Click here to register!

Announcing NASA's Cassini Scientist for a Day 2012 Essay Contest for Grade 5-12 Students

Announcing NASA's 2012 Edition of the Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Contest

The Cassini spacecraft launched in October 1997 and has been orbiting Saturn since 2004.

The essay contest is open to students in grades 5-12.  Essays must be under 500 words.  

There are three essay topics to choose from: 

1.  Saturn's small shepherd moon, Pan

2.  Saturn's F Ring

3.  Saturn

Students choose one of these topics and write an essay about why they think this image should be taken by the Cassini spacecraft.  What questions do they hope will be answered by taking this picture?

The essay contest meets U.S. National Science and Language Arts Standards.

For contest rules, videos about each essay topic, a downloadable contest flyer, frequently asked questions, and more information, visit:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/scientistforaday/

The contest deadline is Wednesday, October 24, 2012.  All essays must be submitted by the student's teacher.  If the essay contest is used as a class assignment, please send the top 3 essays from each class, along with a list of other students who wrote essays for the contest.

All students who write essays will receive a certificate of participation.  Winners and their classes will be invited to participate in a teleconference with Cassini scientists.  Winning essays will be posted on the Cassini website.

For questions about the contest, e-mail scientistforaday@jpl.nasa.gov

Good luck!

Best wishes,

The Cassini Outreach Team

scientistforaday@jpl.nasa.go

Free Heroin, And Other Ideas That Won't Get You Elected

Earlier this summer, NPR's Planet Money assembled five prominent economists from across the political spectrum and gave them a simple task: Identify major economic policies they could all stand behind. In this podcast, they talk to those economists again. Episode 402: Free Heroin, And Other Ideas That Won't Get You Elected This time, we hear a bunch of the ideas some of them liked but others shot down — including free heroin for addicts, and $2 trillion in new deficit spending on infrastructure projects. It's amazing to hear the economists clash over engineering, beginning at the 7m30s mark. ASME has identified roads and bridges that nationwide need repair or replacing, to the cost of $2 trillion. Robert Frank, professor of management and economics at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, is for government spending. Russ Roberts, George Mason University economics professor, is his ideological opponent. Not so fast, Russ says. You can't trust engineers to make a decision where they might make money. As the saying goes, the fix is in. What do you think?

i.am.mars: reach for the stars with will.i.am

Driven by curiosity, will.i.am took a lifelong fascination with science and the arts and transformed it into a piece of music that made history on Mars. It was the first song sent back to Earth from Mars via the Curiosity rover. His early exposure to STEM changed his life growing up in east Los Angeles. Join the Science Channel for the epic journey will.i.am took with NASA on I.AM.MARS: REACH FOR THE STARS. The show takes you through the entire creative process from writing the song, to recording, to delivery on Mars' Gale crater and back. Questions for Discussion with Students

• How do the Arts contribute a culture of creativity needed to solve engineering projects?
• By looking and listening to the people in the NASA control room, what does it take to work well in teams?

Symphony of Science - Our Biggest Challenge (Climate Change Music Video)

The Symphony of Science is a musical project by John Boswell designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form.



A musical investigation into the causes and effects of global climate change and our opportunities to use science to offset it. Featuring Bill Nye, David Attenborough, Richard Alley and Isaac Asimov. "Our Biggest Challenge" is the 16th episode of the Symphony of Science series by melodysheep.

Visit http://symphonyofscience.com for more science remixes!

Model Bridge Design

The mission of GarrettsBridges.com is to provide Excellence in Education and Customer Service to help students of all ages learn about model bridges. Model Bridge Design is the place where model bridge builders of all ages come to learn. Glean valuable tips and tricks from award winning builders for designing and building model bridges of various kinds, including Balsa wood, Basswood, popsicle stick and toothpick bridges. Whether you are building for fun or competition, a weekend project or school assignment, you will find something you can use here.

Save the Date: Nov. 3 Engineering Family Fun Day

The fifth annual “Engineering Family Fun Day” is coming Saturday, November 3 at Dreher Park in West Palm Beach. The goal of the event is to educate the community on the opportunities available in engineering and inspire an interest in the areas of math and science in young students in Palm Beach County.

Sponsored by the non-profit educational and service organization, The Society of Women Engineers Southeast Florida Section, the intent is to increase the students’ as well as their parents’, teachers’, and counselors’ knowledge of engineering and other technical fields.

The EF2D event involves sponsored booths. Each sponsor presents a hands on engineering related activity by which the students, parents, and engineers can interact with each other. For example, the Bottle Rocket booth teaches students aerospace engineering and the Making Polymers booth involves chemistry. Last year, Seminole Ridge SECME students challenged children to learn the physics of projectiles by making a popfly launcher with paint stirrers, a PVC pipe coupler and a ping pong ball. The minicatapults were sponsored in part by Lowe's Home Improvement of Royal Palm Beach, store #0654.

This year, Seminole SECME will make magnetic field maps of Mars. Then the participants make "field detectors" from simple objects to predict the locations of the fields. The big idea of this demonstration is that the Sun and planets have different magnetic properties. Sunspots are related to magnetism on the sun. Earth has a strong simple magnetic field with two poles. But Mars has no magnetosphere! 
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Solar_System_Magnetism.html
http://mgs-mager.gsfc.nasa.gov/kids/magfield.html

(Click on the first picture to flip through a photostream of 2011 EF2D)

Banner Brainstorm: THINK, ADAM!

The Creation of Adam is part of a painting by Michelangelo in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

The Creation of Adam
Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, 1475–1564)

Banner Brainstorm

What's Up for September 2012 - Observe & "Wink" at the moon this month

Celebrate International Observe the Moon night on September 22, and honor the memory of Astronaut Neil Armstrong by looking up and winking at the moon this month.

2012-2013 Palm Beach County SECME Design Seminars

In the SECME program, students are required to design, build, and test a variety of engineering research projects throughout the year. SECME student teams construct balsawood bridges for structural strength, cars powered solely by the spring from a mousetrap to race across gymnasiums, and two liter bottle rockets to launch for maximum hang time. Essays and artwork communicating student interpretations of this year’s theme, “Think it’s impossible? Think sySTEMatically. THINK SECME!” will be displayed and judged. The engineering Olympiad competition in February is the culmination of projects completed as a result of classroom activities, and of students, parents, teachers and partners participating in Saturday engineering design seminars. Design seminars familiarize students with the events in the annual Olympiad completion. They provide the people, the place, and the parts to work on SECME submissions. Students also interact with practicing engineers who help them understand the importance of education in the global economy with the ultimate goal of encouraging students to pursue postsecondary degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Please plan on attending!

Coach Ed Batchelor and Captain Sam Smith
Above: Seminole SECME Coach Batchelor and Captain Sam Smith during a Mousetrap Vehicle Design Seminar.

The School District of Palm Beach County and the SECME South Florida Industry Partners are hosting the following design seminars in 2012-2013. Seminars last approximately 2-4 hours. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the seminars:

• Thurs. Sept. 20 @ 4:30 PM PM—Mousetrap Vehicle Design at Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center.
Directions: I-95 to Forest Hill Blvd. Go west on Forest Hill past Congress Ave. Turn left at Davis Road. Building is on left.
• Sat., Sept. 24 @ 9 AM—Mousetrap Vehicle Design at Lantana Middle, 1225 W. Drew St., Lantana, FL 33462
Directions: I-95 to Hypoluxo Rd. East to 14th St. and turn left. Go to West Drew St. and turn right. School on right side.
• Thur., Oct 11 @ 5 PM—Bridge/Truss Design at Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center.
Directions: I-95 to Forest Hill Blvd. Go west on Forest Hill past Congress Ave. Turn left at Davis Road. Building is on left.
• Sat., Oct 20 @ 10 AM—Water Rocket Design at Acreage Branch Library, 15801 Orange Blvd., Loxahatchee, FL 33470
Directions: Take Northlake Blvd. west to Seminole Pratt Whitney Rd. Turn south (left). Proceed south for 2.2 miles to Orange Blvd.
• Thur. Oct 25 @ 5 PM—Technical reports and drawings drafting at Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center.
Directions: I-95 to Forest Hill Blvd. Go west on Forest Hill past Congress Ave. Turn left at Davis Road. Building is on left.
• Sat., Nov. 3 @ 9 AM—Mousetrap Vehicles and Bridges at H.L. Johnson Elementary, 1000 Crestwood Blvd. N., Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 Directions: I-95 to Okeechobee Blvd. West to Royal Palm Beach Blvd. Turn north on Royal Palm Bch. Blvd. School on west side of street.
• Sat., Nov. 17 @ 9 AM—Bottle Rockets Design at Palm Springs Middle, Address: 1560 Kirk Rd., West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Directions: I-95 to Forest Hill Blvd. West to Kirk Rd. School on NE corner.
• Thurs. Nov. 29 @ 5 PM—Mousetrap Vehicle Design at Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center.
Directions: I-95 to Forest Hill Blvd. Go west on Forest Hill past Congress Ave. Turn left at Davis Road. Building is on left.
• Tues. Dec. 4 @ 5 PM—Banner/Poster/Brain Bowl at Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center.
Directions: I-95 to Forest Hill Blvd. Go west on Forest Hill past Congress Ave. Turn left at Davis Road. Building is on left.
• Thur. Jan 24 @ 4:30 PM—DEADLINE: Registration, Rocket Patch, Essay, Technical reports and drawings due at Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center.
Directions: I-95 to Forest Hill Blvd. Go west on Forest Hill past Congress Ave. Turn left at Davis Road. Building is on left.
• Sat., Feb 9 @ 8 AM—SECME Elementary Olympiad at Santaluces High, 6880 Lawrence Rd., Lantana, FL 33462
Directions: I-95 to Hypoluxo Rd. West to Lawrence Rd. School is on NE intersection of Hypoluxo and Lawrence Rd.
• February TBA—Florida Atlantic University Engineers Week Event
Directions: I-95 to Hypoluxo Rd. West to Lawrence Rd. School is on NE intersection of Hypoluxo and Lawrence Rd.
• Sat., Feb 23 @ 8 AM—SECME Secondary Olympiad at Santaluces High, 6880 Lawrence Rd., Lantana, FL 33462
Directions: I-95 to Hypoluxo Rd. West to Lawrence Rd. School is on NE intersection of Hypoluxo and Lawrence Rd.
• April TBA—SECME Annual “Celebration of Achievements” Awards Banquet
For directions starting from Seminole Ridge High, visit http://tinyurl.com/SeminoleRidgeHigh

Seminole SECME Demo Day Aug 29, 2012

Seminole SECME is having a demonstration day to recruit for the 2012-2013. Students interested in science, engineering, and math are asked to attend the 1st meeting Wednesday, August 29, 2012 from 3- 4:30 PM in room 5-107. Or see Mr. Landstrom for more information. Seminole SECME is an after-school engineering club with hands-on projects. Get creative with contests to race robots, rockets, and mousetrap powered rovers! Join SECME! Get Smart! Have Fun! Win Prizes!

20120818 Freshmen Invasion

Click on the first picture to flip through the photoalbum of Seminole Ridge SECME on Saturday, August 18, 2012 at the Freshmen Invasion for the Class of 2012. 

Drop It, Build It Engineering Competition 2012

Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It, Thrill It 2013

Di-Bi-Fi-Li-Ti is a design competition for cash prizes challenges kids to build an unbreakable balsawood bridge, create the perfect carton to protect a raw egg from a 3-story drop, fold and fly the farthest-flung paper airplane, blast off the best water bottle rocket for max time airborne, and create a thrill-packed roller coaster. The South Florida Science Museum in partnership with the Florida Engineering Society provides a premiere out-of-school STEM competition to elementary, middle and high school students offering substantial cash prizes for the top four finishers in each of the five engineering categories:

1. Drop It: Design and build a shipping container that will prevent an uncooked egg from breaking when dropped from two successive heights, up to 50 feet.
2. Build It: Given a range of physical dimensions and using appropriate building materials, construct the lightest truss-frame bridge capable of supporting the greatest weight.
3. Fly It: Given a sheet of paper, design an airplane that will fly the longest distance.
4. Launch It: Construct a rocket propelled by “fuel” (12 ounces of water) and air compressed to 60 psi that will be launched at a predetermined angle to reach the maximum height and flight time possible.
5. Thrill It: Design a roller coaster to convey a marble or steel ball within designated parameters, so that it stays rolling the longest, is the most interesting to view and has a theme.

Enjoy a fun filled family day of science and engineering exploration on Saturday, March 9, 2013 from 8 AM to 3:30 PM. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the event.

More information is available online at http://www.sfsm.org/

We're NASA and We Know It

Danny Forster – Discovery Education Channel Host – Kicks Off 2012 Palm Beach County Science Symposium

Danny Forster, chief architecture and engineering expert for Discovery Education and host of the SCIENCE series Build It Bigger, will address more than 1,000 science teachers to kick off the 2012 Palm Beach County Science Symposium that will take place on Thursday, August 16, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Park Vista High School - 7900 Jog Road, Lake Worth, FL. 

Forster will share his experience traveling the world in search of incredible feats of architecture and engineering and his work on Discovery Channel’s documentary, Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero. He also will discuss what inspired him to pursue a career in science.

Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter August 2012

In the Autumn 2012 issue of the Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk'  newsletter

- Obama Calls Curiosity landing at Mars' Gale Crater "Examples of American know-how and ingenuity...really an amazing accomplishment"
- Mechanical Mayhem at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Ft. Lauderdale
- Figure This! Metric Mathletes - Can Athletes Run Faster Than Cars
- Save the Date!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 3 PM —Seminole SECME Demo Day. New recruits welcome to join!
Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 10 AM-“Robot” Car Wash fundraiser at Burger King
- SECME Spotlight on Captain Sam Smith
- XCKD.COMics “1050—Algebra”
- Hawks Solve to the Fourth Place at PBAU Math Competition

Click here to download the attached PDF copy of our Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Autumn 2012 issue

Hawk Talk Autumn 2012