The Greengineering curriculum challenges students by defining the energy and resource issues we face, and putting the materials in their hands. They grapple with engineering, design, policy, budgets and community concerns to produce results that have been recognized by the Governor of MA.
Our students run the range from Voc-tech to AP students, all who want a challenge to be creative in solving worldwide and local problems.
We are a large suburban school with a huge selection of electives taught by creative and imaginative teachers. Greengineering is leading the way in environmental education and engineering, and many of our students have continued what they've learned here, including starting BioDiesel programs in their colleges. When we teach students the engineering skills, and provide them with materials, and get out of the way, they come up with amazing results. Through this class, our students have created aquaponics systems to grow food for our cafeteria, algae cultures for biofuel, biodiesel production from our cafe's waste oil, and reusing and recycling Whole Foods bags into a huge variety of textile products. And the curriculum evolves yearly, as each class builds upon the successes of the previous class.
My Project
In addition to the Core 4 teams we've established, BioD, algae, materials, and aquaponics, we'd like to add the possibility of 3D printing to our options. By focusing on teaching research skills rather than feeding answers, and by engaging students to understand today's quickly changing energy needs and resources, we are driving to make our students agile in the connected age. Thus, the 3D printer will give us the opportunity to not just describe these cutting edge technologies, but to put the power in their hands. We expect our students to use the printer for exactly what it was designed: generate parts and devices as-needed. Broken belt loop for your recycled-plastic belt? Print one. Need a thermometer bracket for monitoring algae temps? Print one. Plastic castle for the aquaponics fish? Print one. Rapid prototyping is the future of engineering, design, and manufacturing, and we want to be right there at the front of the wave.
By providing students the materials that professionals use, they will have the opportunity to get a much more genuine impression of what lies out there in their futures.
This is not a hypothetical exercise... we are solving real problems (on the small scale) that the forerunners in industry are working on right now. This Printer will put the power of rapid prototyping in their hands, and give them experience that will change their expectations of what they can do in the world.
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