Summer Career Connections at SAVY 2018: Session 4, Day 1 – Engineering Design (Rising 7th)
Hello SAVY Parents!
Today we learned about the engineering design cycle! This morning we created marshmallow towers out of dried spaghetti (the tallest being 28.25 inches) to learn the importance of testing. This is a common design challenge posed to lots of groups, including students, entrepreneurs, and engineers. Ask your student which group tends to build the tallest structures? What does this group do that makes them so successful?
This afternoon we focused on learning design tools, so we took a trip to the computer lab to learn how to use CAD (computer aided design) software. After a brief introduction, the students were tasked with designing a personal logo. This logo will be made with a laser cutter, so the students had to make their design account for the limitations and manufacturing requirements of a laser cutter.
We capped our day off by practicing how to record design decisions! Engineers need to keep neat and detailed notes on their designs. For long projects, it’s hard to remember what you’ve tried already and why you tried it. That’s why a good engineer keeps a good engineering notebook. Ask your student to describe their design and justify their design choices! It’s an important engineering skill to practice.
Tomorrow we’ll join our engineering teams and get the full specifications for our design project!
-Kelsay
Photos From Our Day
