Students across the Historic Triangle put their creativity and innovation skills to the test recently. York and Lafayette high schools got involved with NASA through a weightless flight and a radiation protection project. At Williamsburg Christian Academy, the Odyssey of the Mind team made and drove a car, advancing to a world-level competition for their project. Students at Matthew Whaley Elementary School took paper out of their science projects, creating ‘green’ presentations.
Matthew Whaley Fifth-Graders Cut Down on Paper Through Electronic Science Fair
Fifth-grade students at Matthew Whaley Elementary School learned about more than just science through this year’s science fair.
Rather than using a traditional poster-type presentation for the science fair, students created slide show presentations including videos and narration to post online. Once completed, students then assigned QR codes to the slide shows, which were printed and posted on student lockers.
Parents and other students walked the halls during the school’s Science, Technology and Wellness Night, stopping to scan QR codes for projects drawing their interest. As QR codes were scanned using cell phones or borrowed iPads, the science fair project videos were unlocked.
Sylvia Strawn focused her science fair project on the geysers produced when a Mentos is dropped into a bottle of Coke. Her presentation incorporates the information from her experiment, which she reads throughout the presentation, as well as animation as slides change. Strawn also included photographs, a drawing and videos of her experiment in action.
Last year Bryan Cole, a fifth-grade teacher, and Kris Van Deusen, a computer teacher, got together to brainstorm a better way for the students to present their projects without using as much paper.
“Most of our students would take their backboards home after the science fair and throw them away. We felt that this was such a waste,” said Cole in an email. “In a PowerPoint format, the students could present their projects to the class in a real-life presentation.”
While the projects cut down on paper, they also make grading easier on the teachers. In the past, Cole said teachers had to “loom over the students as they presented their projects to make sure they had all of the requirements.” Now, teachers can review the slide show presentations as often as they wish to ensure the requirements are met.
“This was our first attempt at using this type of technology. What we learned as teachers was that there were endless opportunities for other forms of presentation using QR codes,” Cole said. “In the future, students could present their writing or art projects in this format as well.”
York County Students Help Design Radiation Protection Device for NASA
Three York County School Division students contributed to a five-member New Horizons Governor’s School for Science and Technology team that won a NASA high school challenge.
The team was tasked with studying the effects of radiation on humans in space; with the knowledge learned, the students created a shield to protect a radiation meter that will fly on Orion during Exploration Flight Test-1.
Team ARES – the Governor’s School team – was chosen as the winning group from five finalist teams.
“This is a great day for Team ARES – you have done a remarkable job,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a news release. “I really want to congratulate all of our finalists. You are outstanding examples of the power of American innovation. Your passion for discovery and the creative ideas you have brought forward have made us think and have helped us take a fresh look at a very challenging problem on our path to Mars.”
York High’s Abid Rizvi and Tabb High’s Sajan Sheth and Daniel McNamara joined two Hampton high school students in the project.
Team ARES will continue working with NASA and Lockheed Martin — a space systems design company — to earn approval for the radiation shield to fly in space. The team will join Lockheed Martin at the Florida-based Kennedy Space Center to watch their experiment launch.
Lafayette High School Student Experiences Zero Gravity with NASA
Lafayette High School senior Matthew DiMarcantonio joined three of his New Horizons Governor’s School for Science and Technology classmates aboard the Zero Gravity Corporation’s G-Force One plane.
NASA provided the students the opportunity to experience weightlessness while conducting science experiments aimed to help improve life on the International Space Station. The students traveled to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to take part in High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware – or HUNCH.
The students tested two experiments while without gravity: a system designed to help reduce carbon dioxide buildups and another to give sticky traction to a dust-cleaning robotics system.
Williamsburg Christian Academy Odyssey of the Mind Team Advances to World after Claiming State Title
The Williamsburg Christian Academy Odyssey of the Mind team claimed second place in the high school Virginia State finals and will advance to the world finals hosted at Iowa State University.
Odyssey of the Mind provides opportunities for kindergarten through college students to attack creative problems. Teams may build machines or interpret literary classics. WCA’s team claimed a regional title before advancing to state with a project called “Driver’s Test.”
The students built and drove a vehicle while a student driver character tried to pass a driving test. The vehicle used a propulsion system to travel forward and a different system to travel backward; it also had a GPS system which talked to the driver.
Students were scored on creativity, quality, technical difficult and effectiveness of the performance. The team – comprising Enoch Comber, Tanner Tisone, Jason Oh, Luke Pfeifer, Reilly Busching, Chandler Manns and Will Gibson – will complete against 800 teams from around the world at Iowa State from May 28 through 31.
Hampton Roads Academy Celebrates Earth Day
Students in Hampton Roads Academy’s Lower School planted a tree near the school playground in celebration of Earth Day.
The students have also taken part in a recycling effort, which had them collecting water bottles and used markers to send to a recycling company for disposal.
