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.

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.

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)

2011-2012 SECME Outstanding Angel of the Year for the School District of Palm Beach County, FL: Kim Seager

Congratulations to Kim Seager, P.E. with FPL and President of the Society of Women Engineers (Region D - Southeast Florida). At the Eighteenth Celebration of Achievement Banquet on Saturday, May 5, 2012, the South Florida Industry Partners For Education recognized her with the 2011-2012 Palm Beach County Outstanding Angel Award for outstanding SECME support at the High School level! Here is her letter of nomination:

Scholarship Information from the Society of Women Engineers

Good Afternoon,

The Southeast Florida Section of the Society of Women Engineers has a scholarship program to honor high school females who have shown commendable ability in areas such as leadership, academics, and community activities.

SWE Southeast Florida will annually award $500 and SWE Collegiate Membership to one outstanding high school senior female student who intends to pursue a college degree in engineering.

The scholarship application must be filled out by the student (and signed by a counselor) and postmarked April 30th, 2012. SWE, at a national level, also has scholarships for outstanding high school female students.

This application form can be found on the National SWE website: www.swe.org.

Please help us in recognizing outstanding young women by distributing scholarship forms and filling out the award nominations. Please take the time to learn about our SWE Southeast Section and our outreach activities by visiting our website at:
http://www.swe.org/swe/regiond/sections/sefl/Templates/home.htm

Sincerely, Marisa Lopez
SWE Southeast Florida Scholarship Chair FY12
Marisa[dot]lopez[at]kimley-horn[dot]com
561-840-0863

Engineering Family Fun Day 2011 Recap

“On behalf of the Southeast Florida Section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), we would like to thank Seminole Ridge SECME for your support of the 4th Annual Engineering Family Fun Day (EF2D). We are grateful for you donating your time and resources to participate in this great event. EF2D is a free annual event that the SWE hosts for Palm Beach County students. The objective of the program is to educate the community on engineering and spark an interest in math, science and engineering for students. EF2D informs students and their parents of the qualifications and achievements of engineers and the opportunities available though engineering.

"The 4th Annual EF2D event offered ten activities that provided hands on learning about engineering and science. The activities included Popfly Launcher, Wind Energy, Lemon Battery, Bottle Rocket Launch, Gumdrop Dome, Survey, Lego Tower, Eat Your Science, Egg Bungee and Meet an Engineer. At every location, students had the opportunity to meet and talk to engineers about where they work, what they do, and how to become an engineer. By the end of the day, both students and volunteers learned some of the basic concepts that are used by engineers and scientists every day.

“Seminole Ridge SECME played a huge role in helping to make the 4th Annual EF2D event a success. Without your participation, our event would not have been so successful. We were able to provide a day of fun and learning to over 100 students in Palm Beach County. I hope you will continue to support our event in years to come. Through the loyal support of members and friends we are making great strides towards our goal of supporting women of all ages in their quest for successful careers in engineering.

- Kim Seager
(SEFL SWE President/EF2D Event Chair)

Society of Women Engineers November 2010 events

Society of Women Engineers National Conference - November 4 - 6, 2010
Location: Orlando, Florida
Sign up to be a volunteer at the WE10 in Orlando, FL, November 4-6. SWE needs help to drive the success of our conference! You also can earn registration credit! WE10 Volunteers are eligible for ½ off basic registration (professionals) and free basic registration (collegians) for simply giving 5 hours of your time during WE10. This is your chance to attend that Career Enhancement Series session, tour, or banquet you have always wanted to attend! Sign up today at: Click here to sign up.

Engineering Family Fun Day(EF2D) - November 20, 2010
Location: Dreher Park, West Palm Beach, Florida
Click to get more information on EF2D.