Roosevelt Middle Students Learn Real-World Applications For Engineering

In celebration of National Engineering Week, February 18-22, over 30 engineers from Lockheed Martin visited the pre-engineering magnet students at Roosevelt Middle School on Thursday, February 21.

The engineers worked on a series of building activities with approximately 240 pre-engineering students over a five hour period. The students were divided into small work groups and assigned the task of building a tower at least six inches tall that would support at least one can of tuna. The only materials the students were given were toothpicks and Dots candies. The small collaborative work groups brainstormed ideas, agreed on a concept, and constructed towers of all sizes and shapes under the watchful eyes of the team of Lockheed Martin engineers. Prizes were awarded to teams that achieved the goal.

“We learned real-world applications for engineering,” said sixth grader John-Mark Phillips. “We also learned that teamwork is very important when putting something together.”

Lockheed Martin engineers discussed the work being conducted at their Riviera Beach location. The engineers brought video, allowing students to see the products currently being worked on, including the Marlin Autonomous Underwater Vehicle™. Marlin is a small yellow submarine that inspects deepwater oil and gas structures, especially important following severe weather, to make sure the structure is safe to resume production. Its sensors and imaging equipment make it ideally critical to Florida’s maritime industries, resources and economy.

The Lockheed Martin engineers also talked about and showed video of the Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle. This is an unmanned, semi-submersible, semi-autonomous vehicle that uses sensors and imaging equipment to detect underwater mines to keep the sailors out of the minefield.

Other engineers then discussed their backgrounds, why they became engineers, and what they do on a daily basis. This was followed by a lengthy question and answer period, which gave our engineers of the future a chance to talk to current engineers. Students were curious about types of engineering jobs currently available, the types of math classes the Lockheed engineers took when they were in school, and how much money engineers make.

Lockheed Martin is a business partner with Roosevelt Middle and sits on the school’s magnet advisory board.

For more information, please contact Todd LaVogue, Magnet Coordinator, at 822-0261 or todd.lavogue@palmbeachschools.org.

Seeking Female Engineering Majors! – Students Learn from MIT Women Graduates

The School District of Palm Beach County was one of 10 school districts nationwide selected to participate in the MIT Women’s Initiative Program. The Women’s Initiative is a non-profit student group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that seeks to increase the number of females enrolled in engineering majors.

Female MIT undergraduates visited seven middle and high schools in Palm Beach County to speak with female students at each school about the importance of mathematics and science courses in preparation for engineering careers. All participants were given the opportunity to interact with two female engineering students as well as participate in a challenging engineering activity.

Lindsey Hornyak, a freshman at Boca Raton High School, said, “It was really fun and interesting to learn about the different types of engineering with my friends. I never knew there were so many kinds of engineering, and that I would consider engineering as my career.”

The following schools participated in the program: Boca Raton High School, Glades Central High School, Forest Hill High School, Lake Worth Middle School, Olympic Heights High School, Palm Beach Lakes High School, and West Boca Raton High School.

“The MIT Women’s Initiative provided our students with an opportunity to interact with female role models who have succeeded in the STEM fields. It is our hope that this will help our female students develop positive beliefs about women excelling and taking leadership roles in these fields. We are proud to have been selected for this program,” said Wendy Spielman King, K-12 Science Manager for the School District of Palm Beach County.

Kathryn Neinas, STEM Instructor at Boca Raton High School, said, “Having MIT female students come and present to our top STEM freshmen female students was an amazing experience. Exposing my young students to career opportunities that they may have never known about was very rewarding to me.”

For more information about the MIT Women’s Initiative, visit their website at http://web.mit.edu/wi/.

For more information, contact Wendy Spielman King at 561-357-1152 or via email at wendy.spielman@palmbeachschools.org.

MTV Tip of Month - Graphite Powder at Michaels

Michaels Arts & Crafts stores sell Revell Pinewood Derby Graphite Powder. Increase your racing speed and decrease friction – just use odor-free Graphite Powder! Applying a puff of powder is all it takes to keep wheels and axles lubed to perfection. Use only on washable surfaces. Includes: One 0.25 oz. tube of Graphite Powder. Age: 8+

Coaches, the Michaels Teacher Discount now will get you an extra 15% off every day. If you’re a teacher, just flash your educator I.D. the next time you’re checking out at Michaels to get your discount!

"IM" IS OUT - THINK IT'S POSSIBLE! Hawks Fly 2nd Place Finish

THINK IT'S imPOSSIBLE? THINK sySTEMatically. THINK SECME! Seminole Ridge SECME takes second place during district engineering Olympiad

Seminole Ridge SECME is the winner of five trophies and ribbons at the 2013 SECME Olympiad engineering competition, including second place overall for Palm Beach County! Teams from sixteen high schools in Palm Beach County participated in the engineering contests at Santaluces Community High School in Lantana on Saturday, February 23, 2013. Students squared off in competition to race mousetrap powered model cars, launch model rockets, build and break model balsa wood bridges; in general knowledge games during the "Brain Bowl"; and in literary and artistic competitions with essays, banners, and posters.

(Photo: the SRHS SECME team; front row, L-R: Mr. Ed Batchelor and Mr. Erich Landstrom; back row: Nicholas Smith, Kimberly Smith, Kyle Reilly, Patrick Dickson, Kyle Whirlow, Victoria Simmons, James Carter, Cody Summerlin, Jarrett Rimel, and Sam Smith.)

The competition of cogitators was fierce. And the Hawks soared high: honorable mention - balsawood bridge; second place - banner; second place - water rocket (Team Seniors); first place - water rocket (Team Osprey); second place overall in the entire district! Coaches Erich Landstrom and Ed Batchelor, the school SECME coordinators, and principal James Campbell congratulate the Hawks on their awesome achievements.

(Click on the first picture to flip through the Seminole SECME team competing at Santaluces High School for the 2013 Palm Beach County School District SECME Olympiad on Saturday, February 23, 2013)

20130213 SDPBC SECME Olympiad

Elementary Students Building Bridges, Bottle Rockets and More In 2013 SECME Olympiad

Nearly seven hundred students from 51 schools recently participated in the 2013 Palm Beach County SECME Elementary Olympiad at Santaluces High School.  SECME’s mission is to increase the pool of historically under-represented and under-served students who will be prepared to enter and complete post-secondary studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), thus creating a diverse and globally competitive workforce.

Overall District Winners:

• Honorable Mention:    Galaxy Elementary
• Third Place:                 Timber Trace Elementary   
• Second Place:              Del Prado Elementary
• First Place:                  Roosevelt Elementary School

The following schools placed in individual events:

National Engineers Week

At the Board of County Commissioners meeting on February 5, 2013, Commissioner Shelley Vana presented a proclamation to Florida Engineering Society President Jimmy Richie declaring February 17 to 23, 2013 as National Engineers Week in Palm Beach County, FL.

WHEREAS, National Engineers Week was established in 1951 to help increase public understanding of the engineering profession and to recognize those who professionally protect the public’s health, safety and welfare; and

WHEREAS, Engineers have used their scientific and technical knowledge and skills in creative and innovative ways to fulfill society's needs; and

WHEREAS, Engineers face the major technological challenges of our time—from rebuilding towns devastated by natural disasters to designing an information superhighway that will speed our country through the twenty-first century; and

WHEREAS, Engineers are encouraging our young math and science students to realize the practical power of their knowledge; and

WHEREAS, we will look more than ever to Engineers and their knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of the future; and

WHEREAS, we applaud the Engineers working in Palm Beach County for the significant contributions they make to enhance our local quality of life;

Now therefore, I, Shelley Vana, Chair of the Palm Beach County Commission, do proclaim February 17 – 23, 2013 National Engineers Week in Palm Beach County, Florida.

'I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)'

There have been a lot of songs written about space, but how many songs have actually been written in space?

Watch the video above as astronaut Chris Hadfield, from aboard the International Space Station, performs "I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)" with Ed Robertson, the rest of the Barenaked Ladies and the Wexford Gleeks from Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts, who were all at the CBC studios in Toronto.

The song, which was written by Hadfield and Robertson in partnership with Music Monday, CBC Music and the Canadian Space Agency, explores what it's like to look down on the Earth from outer space. It will also be the official song for the 2013 edition of Music Monday, which takes place on May 6.

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Comets Coming Soon!

NASA Science News for Feb. 6, 2013
A comet falling in from the distant reaches of the solar system could become a naked-eye object in early March. This is Comet Pan-STARRS's first visit to the inner solar system, so surprises are possible as its virgin ices are exposed to intense solar heating for the first time.

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NASA Science News for Jan. 18, 2013
Astronomers are keeping a close eye on newly-discovered Comet ISON, which could become visible in broad daylight later this year when it skims through the atmosphere of the sun. Some reporters have dubbed ISON the "Comet of the Century," but experts aren't yet sure how bright the sungrazer will become.

Infinite Diversity

"The Glory of Creation is in its Infinite Diversity." - Gene Roddenberry, creator of STAR TREK

Hawk Senior Wins Tech Service Scholarship

Congratulations to Hawk tech support student Mitchell Lafferty (photo, left). Mitch is on the VEX robotics team and is the winner of the Palm Beach County school district’s 2013 Pat Oliphant Memorial Student Technology Service Scholarship. Lafferty will receive the $500.00 award at the May 15 school board meeting.

If You (Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It, Thrill It), They Will Come

Just a reminder: after the Olympiad this month, next month is Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It, Thrill It - one of the most popular engineering events for students in South Florida.

DiBiFiLiTi will take place Saturday, March 9, 2013 in Dreher Park, from 8am - 3pm. The South Florida Science Museum, in partnership with the Florida Engineering Society, invites students compete for cash prizes in five different areas:

• (Drop It) The perfect egg container to protect it from a 3-story drop
• (Build It) An unbreakable bridge
• (Fly It) The most aerodynamic paper airplane
• (Launch It) The ultimate water bottle rocket
• (Thrill It) A thrilling roller coaster

Cash prizes awarded to 1st - 4th place winners for elementary, middle and high school categories. Last year, my daughter won $75 for her water rocket, so tell your SECME students its time to turn their payload into a paycheck!

Register now at 
http://www.sfsm.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.details&content_id=297

I See Icy Worlds: Titan & Europa Essay Contest

For students in the United States in grades 5-12, NASA will soon be holding an essay contest about Saturn's moon Titan & Jupiter's moon Europa. The contest deadline will be February 28, 2013. The contest website is here: http://icyworlds.jpl.nasa.gov/contest/. Questions about the Titan & Europa essay contest can be sent to: titaneuropa@jpl.nasa.gov

The topic of the Titan & Europa essay is either a mission to Saturn's moon Titan or to Jupiter's moon Europa. Both of these missions would study a world that is exciting for astrobiologists(*).

Your assignment is to decide which of the proposed missions would be more interesting to you, and why. Be creative, be original, and ask good questions that you hope the mission would answer.

The Titan mission would include a Titan orbiter and a Titan balloon. The Europa mission would include a Europa orbiter and a Europa lander. The orbiters, balloon, and lander would each have science instruments to study either Titan or Europa.

In your essay, you can include information about what science instruments you would put on the orbiter and balloon or lander, if you wish, based on what you hope to find on Titan or Europa.

Winning essays will be posted on a NASA website, and winners and their classes will be invited to participate in a videoconference or teleconference with NASA scientists.

Contest videos about Astrobiology, Titan, and Europa can be found here:
http://icyworlds.jpl.nasa.gov/contest/videos/

(*) Astrobiologists are scientists who study the origins, evolution, future and distribution of life in the universe. The main question astrobiologists are trying to answer is: "Is there life beyond Earth?"

NASA Beams Mona Lisa to the Moon

As part of the first demonstration of laser communication with a satellite at the moon, scientists with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) beamed an image of the Mona Lisa to the spacecraft from Earth.

The iconic image traveled nearly 240,000 miles in digital form from the Next Generation Satellite Laser Ranging (NGSLR) Station at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, to the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument on the spacecraft. By transmitting the image piggyback on laser pulses that are routinely sent to track LOLA's position, the team achieved simultaneous laser communication and tracking.

Water Rocket Alternative Fuels