e-Week Part 2

Article in the Poughkeepsie Journal

Friday, February 22, 2008
Egg drops enthrall would-be engineers

By Alice Hunt
Poughkeepsie Journal

BEACON - Eggs were dropped and ingenuity applied Thursday as seventh- and eighth-graders from Rombout Middle School tried their hands at engineering.

Two IBM engineers visited the Synergistics science enrichment classrooms of Glenn Morris and Alison DeSpada Wednesday and Thursday as part of the school's National Engineering Week recognition.

In Morris' class, ****** and Vincent Vazquez, industrial engineers from IBM's Fishkill site, discussed their roles at IBM and what an engineer does. Then they tested the students in a simulated engineering project.

"An engineer would be able to use the principles you learn in science and apply them to a product," ****** explained.

The students then participated in an egg drop, where they used ordinary materials to create an object to hold and protect a raw chicken egg from a 10-foot drop.

"We're going to see if your egg survives," ******** said. "It's like a spaceship - Apollo re-entering the atmosphere. If your egg yolk goes everywhere, you didn't do a good job. The astronaut wouldn't make it."

Costs also a factor
That wasn't the only challenge. The materials - newspaper, construction paper, marshmallows, wooden barbecue skewers and tape - had costs assigned to them. Students also had to keep the project within a budget.

The children broke into three groups of four and began brainstorming.

The group with Mark Hart, Robert Oberle, Michael Nobile and Edwardo Gonzales started with a cone design but realized the design wouldn't work.

"If it tilts, it's gone," Hart said, showing the other three how some parts of the cone would not be padded. The boys then switched to trying to make a cube, padding it with torn-up marshmallows and newspaper.

A group dubbed The Rocket Scientists had a similar design.

"Put the egg in the center of the newspaper, surround it with marshmallows taped into more newspaper," Dionte Wil-liams told Cristian Wassweider.

"We need more tape," Alijah Wilds said, while Ashleigh Arena folded black construction paper into a box to further cradle the egg.

In the end, The Rocket Scientists prevailed, with the only project that did not break, and the least-expensive design.

The project is a fun way of showing students how deadlines, budget and timelines must be considered when working on an engineering project, Vazquez said.

"This replicates a real-life engineering project," he said.

Reach Alice Hunt at Hunta@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4819.