Past projects 4
Renewable Energy for Mobile Medical Units
Funded Jun 14, 2022Thank you so much for your generous donations. Our students have been able to explore not only energy concepts but how we can use renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels. This project allowed the students to learn about different types of renewable energy sources. They will also learn about countries and their energy needs (Democratic Republic of Congo) as well as how to design and build a generator.
Students always ask, "Why do I need to learn this? When am I ever going to use this?" You have helped them to see that we use science and physics every day to make our lives better.
Sometimes, as teachers, we can be hesitant to use kits with students. With predominately low-income students, we are already purchasing notebooks, folders, paper, etc. We want to provide for our students so they It's messy and it takes time to set up and clean up. However, donors like you, have made it possible for teachers to create more hands-on activities to help us reach ALL of our students.
Our students have really enjoyed working with the kits and have really learned a lot from this hands-on approach. They were building and experimenting without prompting from me.
Thank you again for making this possible for my students and me.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hing
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 4 other donors.Launching to the Stars
Funded Feb 21, 2018I wanted to personally thank you again for your generous gift. My students were very excited to see how different sizes, find configuration, weight, and nose cones effected the flights of the rockets. They were very competitive and they continued to go through the engineering design process to modify and improve their designs.
I was very excited to see them enjoy this project. They designed their rockets to reach their favorite planet. They also enjoyed talking about their planet and why they would take a rocket there to visit. This really made the end of the year fun with a purpose for them!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hing
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and one other donor.Powering the World
Funded Nov 10, 2015I was finally able to bring project based learning into my classroom this year with your generous donation. The students explored the geography of the Democratic Republic of Congo and decided on locations for medical clinics. Through their exploration of renewable energy resources, generators, and motors, they were able to design working prototypes that lit an LED bulb.
The students were very excited to be able to work with the K'Nex STEM kits, the potato battery, and the solar kits. They explored how renewable energy can be used to run a motor which in turns rotates the shaft of the generator. They decided on their location and available resources what power source they would use to power their medical clinic.
The students had a great time working with their own ideas based on what they learned using the provided materials. They designed and built water wheels, solar power stations, and wind turbines. They were impressed with what they could accomplish in a few short weeks.
Thank you for giving my students the ability to see how science, math, engineering, and technology join together to make our world a better place. We, as teachers, rarely get the opportunity to show how what they learn in the classroom will benefit others in the real world.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hing
Launching Rockets into STEM
Funded Jan 19, 2015My students were given a project that used the bottle rocket launchers and the altimeters. They were to design a bottle rocket that would reach an altitude of 200 ft or stay in the air the longest. I provided them a NASA simulator to use to study how the different aspects of the bottle rocket affect flight.
They worked in teams of four and provided designs to each group member through online communities. They worked on their final design and then built their rockets.
I was very impressed with the amount of time they put into the design and build of their rockets. Some of the students included a parachute that came out when it started to fall. Some students created an aerodynamic rocket by adding another bottle part at the bottom of the rocket. They added fins and nose cones to their rockets.
Many of my students have never build a bottle rocket before. We spend so much time with testing, testing, testing, that they never get to apply what they learn. Here are some of the reflections my students provided to me after the project: B. S. said, "I was excited to build and launch rockets to learn about projectile motion and gain a better understanding of Newton's laws." G. H. commented, "I had fun doing the project and learned a lot about energy transformations. I view this project as a very helpful one."
Not only did they learn about energy conservation and forces, but they also learned about the engineering design process. M. M. commented, "We should have made the rocket lighter in order to increase its height and added a parachute to increase its air time." R. H. said, "I would change the cone of the rocket. The one we used was flimsy and was not well attached."
They were not only learning the principles necessary for rocket flight but also how to improve on a design and make it better.
I am also a sponsor of our CHROME club (engineering for all with special emphasis on young women and minorities) and they will be using the launchers with the elementary and middle school children in their outreach program.
I want to thank you again for making this possible.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Hing