A reminder for Saturday, March 7, 2009

Saturday, March 7, 2009
2009 Palm Beach County
SECME Secondary Olympiad
John I. Leonard High School

Registration 8:00 AM – 9:10 AM
Opening Ceremony (Auditorium) 9:15 AM – 9:30 AM
Competitions Begin 9:30 AM

TEAMS TIMES
Mousetrap Car Competition 9:30 AM – 11:45 AM (Gymnasium)
High School Teams 09:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Banner and Poster Judging 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Cafeteria)

Brain Bowl Competition 9:30 AM – 1:15 PM
(Holding Area: Outside of Hallway 6 & Competition Rooms: (tentative) 6-105, 6-106)

“Sharks and their Relatives” 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM (Auditorium)
Special Presentation by Chris Koch of Jurassic Parts
Open Invitation 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Open Invitation 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Open Invitation 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM

Rocket Competition 9:30 AM – 11:45 AM
(Check-In Room: (tentative) 15-104 & Launch: Athletic Field/Stadium)
High School Teams 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM

Lunch 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM (Courtyard)

Bridge Competition 12:30 PM – 1:15 PM (Auditorium)

Pick Up Posters & Banners 1:15 PM – 1:30 PM (Cafeteria)
Banner Parade Line-Up 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM (Outside Auditorium)
Banner Parade and Awards 1:45 PM – 3:00 PM (Auditorium)

Directions: John I. Leonard High School, 4701 10th Av N., Greenacres, FL 33463
From I-95: The directions to John I. Leonard High School from north bound I-95, take exit 10th Avenue North west bound past Congress Avenue and Military Trail. The school is located on the right side of 10th Avenue just before Haverhill Road. For sporting events, take a right at Haverhill Road and enter in to the Gym parking lot on the right hand side of the roadway.

Seminole SECME Receives $500 Grant from Florida Space Grant Consortium

The Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) has awarded a $500.00 grant to Seminole SECME (Science, Engineering, Communication and Mathematics Enhancement) club in support of its VEX robotics program. Students initiated building basic robots, specifically designed to compete at the March trial tournament at the College of Engineering at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. Their Protobot has 4-wheel, 2-motor drive train, an arm with 180+ degrees of motion, and a claw at the end of the arm is designed to pickup tennis ball sized cubes.

The FSGC has teamed with NASA, other Florida space-related organizations and the Florida Department of Education to promote statewide use of aerospace education programs, including NASA’s impressive space education resources, to support reading, science, mathematics, and technology education for our students. For example, NASA is engaged in educational and public outreach efforts to teach schoolchildren about space exploration, robot technology and the universe in which they live. The 2011 Mars Science Laboratory rover will be larger and more capable than any craft previously sent to land on Mars: imaging its surroundings in high definition, analyzing rocks with a high-powered laser beam, inspecting rocks and soil with a six-foot robotic arm, and cooking and sniffing rock powder delivered from a hammering drill to investigate what minerals are in Martian rocks.


The VEX robotics design competition will provide young thinkers with a current connection to the human-robotic partnership that is transforming discovery and exploration. For 2009, SECME is facilitating a low-cost, high impact robotics program that will encourage more students to continue their education beyond high school and ultimately to choose science-, technology-, engineering-, and mathematics-related careers. In this highly engaging after-school program, students collaborate with their teachers and industry leaders, using their skills and knowledge in science, math, engineering, and technology to configure high-tech robotics to meet a preset series of tasks. Students acquire a ‘can do spirit’ and they get an opportunity to learn from their mentors and motivators in ways that build confidence and pride in their accomplishments. The teams design, build and practice maneuvering their robots before shipping them off to Embry-Riddle University in late March.

Seminole SECME will be competing at the trial tournament on Saturday, March 28, 2009 (tentative) at the College of Engineering at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. This year’s VEX competition is ELEVATION. Elevation is played on a 12'x12' square field. Two alliances - one "red" and one "blue" - composed of two teams each, compete in each match which consists of a 20 second pre-programmed period where the robot operates autonomously, followed by 2 minutes of driver controlled play. Due to travel expenses, this valuable project to attract and hold the attention of today’s multi-tasking teens requires significant fundraising and donations. The FSGC grant helps secure some funding to defray costs. More donations are always welcome.

About the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium: The Florida Space Grant Consortium was established in 1989 and is a statewide network of colleges and universities supporting the expansion and diversification of Florida's space industry through grants, scholarships, and fellowships to students and educators from Florida's public and private institutes of higher education. FSGC is administered through the University of Central Florida, which main offices located at The Astronauts Memorial Foundation's Center for Space Education on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. http://fsgc.engr.ucf.edu/.

Mini-Grant

January 30, 2009

CONGRATULATIONS! You and your SECME team are the recipient of a $500 SECME/ExxonMobil Mini-Grant! We are excited about the award, designed to provide enrichment activities for students in science, mathematics engineering and technology (STEM) as outlined in your grant application.

Official award letter and check will be mailed to your principal today.

E-Week Poster Contest "Leaders by Design"

Engineers Week 2010
February 14-20, 2010

The Palm Beach Chapter of the
Florida Engineering Society Presents
the 3rd Annual
E-WEEK POSTER CONTEST
“Leaders by Design”

Awards
Given per division*
1st Place Award—$50
2nd Place Award—$25
Overall winner along with parents will be special guests at the Engineers Week
Banquet and the winning entry will appear on the cover the banquet program

Judging
Based on Clarity of Message, Conveying the Theme, Attracting Attention, Artistic Merit and Neatness

For more information contact:
Olive Bailey, EI vicepresident[at]pbfes[dot]org
Jim Kunard, PE pastpresident[at]pbfes[dot]org

Deadline to submit all artwork is Friday, January 22nd and should be submitted to:
Jim Kunard, PE
Department of Facilities Services—Summit
By Interoffice Mail (Pony)

Rules and Entry Form
1. Posters should be no larger than 11" X 17" nor smaller than 8 ½” x 11”.
2. Media may be cut paper, poster paints, India ink, string, spatter work, charcoal drawings or any suitable art materials. Generally, crayons and colored pencils do not present well.
3. Annual theme must be on the poster: “Engineers, Leaders by Design.”
4. Name of student, name of school, mailing address of school, grade level of student, parent’s name and address should be typed or printed on a 3 X 5 card. This card should be attached on the back of the poster in lower right-hand corner.
5. Posters that do not meet all contest requirements will be eliminated.
6. All posters need to be received no later than January 22, 2010. Posters received after this date will not qualify.
7. Posters should not be laminated.
8. Posters MUST be the student’s original work, not computer generated.
Please complete this entry form and submit with your artwork


Visit the Palm Beach Chapter online at www.pbfes.org

The newest fashion trend: Seminole SECME gear at Cafe Press

http://www.cafepress.com/seminolesecme
Shirts, hats, and mugs are now available with the "Thinking Out of the Box" theme.

Seminole SECME "Hawk Talk" Winter 2008 newsletter

In the Winter 2008 issue of Seminole SECME "Hawk Talk"

- President-Elect Obama puts science at the top of the agenda
- SECME Secondary Olympiad competition for Palm Beach County on 3/7
- SECME Spotlight: Ramiek Campbell
- SECME fundraiser film on 1/28 "Robots"
- Skills for Success at design seminar

Click here to download a PDF issue of the
Seminole SECME 'Hawk Talk' newsletter Winter 2008 issue.

Movie Matinee at Seminole Ridge High School on Wed., Jan 28, 2009

Let us be first to ask your help in the first of the year to be FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology

Last month, President-Elect Barack Obama issued a call in his weekly address to support science education, “because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us.” Let us be first to ask your help in the first of the year to be FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

“Today, more than ever before,” said Mr. Obama, “science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It is time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology. Right now, in labs, classrooms and companies across America, our leading minds are hard at work chasing the next big idea, on the cusp of break-throughs that could revolutionize our lives. But history tells us that they cannot do it alone.”

Engaging students in math, science, and technology is one of the most important factors in creating tomorrow's workforce. This is of particular importance in America, where math and science education is lagging behind other countries, leaving our nation trailing. At Seminole Ridge High School, the SECME club has undertaken several projects to combat this problem, with projects to promote excellence in engineering.

For 2009, SECME (Science, Engineering, Communication and Math Excellence) is facilitating a low-cost, high impact robotics program that will encourage more students to continue their education beyond high school and ultimately to choose science-, technology-, engineering-, and mathematics-related careers. In this highly engaging after-school program, students collaborate with their teachers and industry leaders, using their skills and knowledge in science, math, engineering, and technology to configure high-tech robotics to meet a preset series of tasks.

This is the type of program that builds interest from the ground up. Students acquire a ‘can do spirit’ and they get an opportunity to learn from their mentors and motivators in ways that build confidence and pride in their accomplishments. The VEX Robotics Design System starter kit contains everything students need to design a robot, with vast creative possibilities. This valuable project requires significant funding—each kit costs $700 – and is entirely supported by student fundraising and your donations. The teams will have eight weeks to design, build and practice maneuvering their robots before shipping them off to Embry-Riddle University in late March.

As our sponsor, you are invited to the kickoff and to follow along with a team of teenagers as they work side-by-side with professional engineers and technicians, parents and teachers. Through their mentoring, the students learn about the field of engineering and gain knowledge and experience in teamwork, time management, task sequencing and computers.

At Seminole Ridge High School, we’ll mark the beginning of 2009 with our vision firmly focused on the future, and the work that lies ahead of us. President-elect Obama finished his remarks on December 17th saying, “I am confident that if we recommit ourselves to discovery, if we support science education to create the next generation of scientists and engineers right here in America; if we have the vision to believe and invest in things unseen, then we can lead the world into a new future of peace and prosperity.”

Please support science education by making a generous new year donation now! Our mission is critical, our work is essential, and we look to those to whom our work matters most. We hope very much that you will be able to say “yes” to our appeal in any amount you can afford, and will truly appreciate whatever you can give. Please consider contributing most generously today.

Help us reach our goal before February 28th by making your checks out to:
Seminole SECME, 4601 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, Loxahatchee FL 33470

Thank you for your support! If there is some way you can help us, or if you would like further information, please comment in the section below.

Seminole SECME "Hawk Talk" newsletter Fall 2008

In the fall 2008 issue of Seminole SECME "Hawk Talk"
- RU VEXed by Robots?
- Florida Engineering Society Speaker on October 29th
- SECME fundraising film on November 19th "WALL-E"
- SECME Spotlight: Kaitlin Kilpatrick

Click here to download a PDF issue of the
Seminole SECME "Hawk Talk" newsletter Fall 2008 issue.

2008-2009 SECME IMPLEMENTATION PLAN: Brief history of the school’s SECME program.

Seminole SECME began in August 2007 under the coordination of Erich Landstrom (previously coordinator at Boynton Beach Community High School).

Erich Landstrom received a Citibank Success Fund Grant of $841 to launch his Rocket POWER (Positive Outcomes While Enjoying Reading) program. During Rocket POWER, SECME students at Seminole Ridge read and discussed the special talents and training necessary to become a rocket scientist. They were then be challenged to design, construct, fly and recover handmade, high-powered model rockets with two “egg-stronauts” onboard.

The Citibank Success Fund awards cash grants to support innovative classroom learning projects that encourage at-risk students to succeed in academics and stay in school. These funds, awarded by the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and Citibank, allow educators to develop innovative, easily replicable, grassroots programs, providing students with an opportunity to succeed and to associate that success with continued school attendance. Landstrom received the grant check during a dinner reception on Tuesday, September 25, 2007. The money was spent on books and rocket construction supplies.

During weekly meetings of an after-school SECME Club (Science, Engineering, Communication and Mathematics Enhancement), students read from non-fiction, how-to books on model rocketry, including The Handbook of Model Rocketry and Rocket Boys: A Memoir, the autobiographical reminiscences of Homer Hickam, Jr. whose life was influenced by rocketry.

SECME students then designed, constructed, and flew their own high-powered model rocket. This rocket, with a payload of two raw Grade-A large eggs, must reach a specific altitude of 750 feet and return undamaged to the ground within 45 seconds.

Seminole SECME competed in its first district Olympiad along with approximately 250 secondary students from Palm Beach County middle and high schools on Saturday, March 29 at John I. Leonard High School from 9:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Lighting the Torch to Empower Future Leaders was the theme of this year’s SECME competition for students interested in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. The club returned with several honors in their inaugural outing:

• In the category of Balsawood Bridge Building, Liz Camp (l) and Vicki Glass’s (r) 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.”

On Saturday, April 26, 2008 SECME students Marlon Alfonso, Ed Bachelor, Kyle Cuthbert and Rob Ponga were entrants in the “Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It” competition at the South Florida Science Museum. More than 150 students from Palm Beach County competed in four competitions:
• Drop It: design a package to protect a raw egg from cracking after a three-story freefall;
• Build It: design an “unbreakable” bridge out of balsa wood;
• Fly It: design the ultimate paper airplane;
• Launch It: blast off a two-liter bottle rocket lofted by compressed air.

From June 21 to June 29, 2008, Erich Landstrom attended the 32nd annual SECME summer institute teacher academy at Tuskegee University.