Even though the Engineering Fair was cancelled in April due to the Coronavirus, KIPP MA still thanks all of our sponsors and supporters who have helped strengthen our Engineering program this year.
Here are some highlights from Engineering during the 2019-2020 school year.
High school students did a project on reverse engineering of everyday items, using CAD and 3-D printing. Above, a group is showing their project, where they reverse engineered a plastic tampon applicator.
At KALE, students’ job was to design and test a new wind turbine prototype to generate electricity for the city of Lynn. They had common craft materials to create the fan blades, which they mounted onto a small generator (a motor spun in reverse). We then hooked each group’s wind turbine up to a multimeter to measure electrical output, and then the teacher, Ms. Graybill, used a leaf blower to spin the turbine, and measure how much electricity it generated.
Selected from thousands of entries nationwide, KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate was named a Massachusetts State Winner in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest. The team used inexpensive and recyclable materials to design a practical device that students can use in the cold and dark winter months for additional safety. The winning team was made up of Ismael Diaz Mateo, Leia Payano (both 12th graders), and Serena Porte (11th grade) along with their Engineering teacher and Science Department Chair, Allen Wang.
Sixth graders at KAB and KAL designed apps with the help of Project Lead the Way, which helps to develop students’ STEM skills. They learned basic coding skills and app design principles through MIT’s App Inventor software. One group designed and created an app called “Scan the World”, where users would be able to scan in pieces of trash that they picked up off the ground and be rewarded points for their planet-saving efforts. Another group worked to create an informational app regarding natural disasters. Users would be able to click on a natural disaster and have the emergency protocol for that disaster read aloud to them. Other apps that students developed focused on improving school culture, education, and health.
