Summer SAVY Session 6, Day 1, Electrical Engineering
Thank you so much for making this opportunity available for your child! The level of engagement and enthusiasm was ELECTRIC! I truly look forward to all that we can learn and accomplish this week in July’s Session 6 of SAVY.
What is a system? In observing many systems (refrigeration systems, educational systems, transportation systems, communication, etc.) we observed that systems include boundaries, elements, inputs, outputs, and interactions. Systems are everywhere! Systems can be interdependent with other systems and are comprised of interactive components and even subsystems. Systems can be functional or dysfunctional. What systems could you and your child identify and discuss?
Today the young engineers and designers experienced what a natural disaster can do to your planning! Right in the middle of the new hire orientation scenario at the local power company, we have power outages in eight states! It’s all hands on deck! Our design project for a recreational facility is on hold for now in order to assist linemen and grid workers get things back in order in the midst of hurricane and tornado damage! What do we know? What do we need to know, and how can we find out? The lists of questions are long. How can we use our new understanding of systems to solve these real-world problems in the crisis? We know systems can be interdependent, so what other systems are in critical need if the power grid is dysfunctional? What subsystems do we count on to solve the power disruption? What do we know about electricity that we should keep in mind as we plan to work in adverse conditions? Are there other problems that must be discovered before we plan? Break out the maps and grids, and let’s take a look at this as a team!
To begin to understand models and blueprints, we are mapping out our classroom space to scale and are using symbols for mapping the electrical wiring. Can you help your child with a scale drawing of a room in your home? What are the electrical needs of this room? For our culminating project, we are asking how maps work and what is scale? To think more about these two-dimensional models, tomorrow we will observe the scale of an actual 1:27 scale Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck and a 1:64 scale 1972 Impala. We even considered the ratio of frogs that can jump 50 times their length! What if Mrs. Byrd could jump like a frog (1:50) or 50 times her height?
Safety became a major part of our conversations today as well. Our class discussions revealed our lack of knowledge and a need to research and respect the power of electricity. We are not able to engage in activities or experiments without adult supervision and when disaster strikes, we must take precautions. Check out this website with your child to discuss at home electrical safety: NES Safety. NES also has a power outage map this is really interesting!
I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow for more work on the grid!