Booker T. Washington High Educates Future Engineers
- By Christopher Foster
- Published 11/4/2009
- Education
- Unrated
High School for Engineering Professions (HSEP), an engineering magnet program at Booker T. Washington High School, began educating future engineers about alternative/renewable energy and rocketry three years ago. For the last two years, students explored alternative/renewable energy with small group projects. This year students will take on larger projects such as: bio-fuel, wind turbines, the Tesla turbine, a compressed air powered vehicle, and high altitude atmospheric studies using weather balloons.
These in-depth projects will educate these students in math, science, and engineering. One of the alternative energy projects that is underway at HSEP is the bio-fuel project. Students use kitchen gadgets to change food scraps into ketone fuels.
This project was initiated last year and will undergo several phases. Phase one encountered a problem with separation of solid and liquid components. The centrifuge they had was too small.
A centrifuge is a machine that separates the mixture of a solid and liquid by spinning rapidly. Cost for the size that was needed was between $5000 and $10,000.
Led by Kingtrix Fernandes, students created a centrifuge using a second hand washing machine, plywood, and PVC pipes put together with nuts and bolts. The students created a centrifuge for less than $100.
The wind turbine is another renewable energy source that future engineers at HSEP are working on. This project requires students to learn about aerodynamics, electronics, and electrical engineering in addition to learning how to harness energy from the wind. The end result will be a 17 foot wind turbine that can generate about 5,000 watts of electricity for our classroom use. If successful, smaller units will be constructed to help the elderly to reduce electricity costs.
Chris Sandifer, a senior at HSEP, is currently building a Tesla turbine. It only requires a few CD’s, part of a PVC pipe, and a few washers. It must be able to spin up to 20,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and not fall apart. This turbine will be connected to a generator that produces electricity. This project may be useful for providing electricity to urban homes.
In the Science R&D (Science Research and Development) class this year, students are preparing to do a series of high altitude atmospheric studies with the use of weather balloons. Working alongside Dr. Longmeir, an expert plasma rocket scientist, the students will design experiments that will cost less than $300 dollars and can be performed at altitudes up to 100,000 feet.
Along with renewable energy resources, students are also designing energy efficient vehicles. The students of HSEP are planning to design and build a small car that runs on compressed air. This project will began in spring 2010.
HSEP is an alternative energy school that prides itself in its excellent rocketry program. Last year Engineering Lab C class focused on designing and building a rocket that can go one mile high and carry a one pound payload. After it was launched they believe that their rocket went over 1 mile high. Unfortunately, the parachute didn’t deploy and it crashed. They learned from their mistakes and this year will move on to the transonic rocket. This is a rocket that will travel faster than the speed of sound and up to 13,000 feet high. HSEP is creating engineers for the future and Principal Mark Bedell has promised full administrative support.
These projects are teaching students about alternative energy, a growing field in engineering, as well as other engineering disciplines. They are enhancing the students’ career choices by giving real life engineering experiences, both theoretical and hands on. Some of the planned future projects include: a car that runs on bio-fuel, a rocket that can reach an altitude of 100,000 feet, and if dreams can come true, we would like to be the first high school to send a rocket into orbit.
These in-depth projects will educate these students in math, science, and engineering. One of the alternative energy projects that is underway at HSEP is the bio-fuel project. Students use kitchen gadgets to change food scraps into ketone fuels.
This project was initiated last year and will undergo several phases. Phase one encountered a problem with separation of solid and liquid components. The centrifuge they had was too small.
A centrifuge is a machine that separates the mixture of a solid and liquid by spinning rapidly. Cost for the size that was needed was between $5000 and $10,000.
Led by Kingtrix Fernandes, students created a centrifuge using a second hand washing machine, plywood, and PVC pipes put together with nuts and bolts. The students created a centrifuge for less than $100.
The wind turbine is another renewable energy source that future engineers at HSEP are working on. This project requires students to learn about aerodynamics, electronics, and electrical engineering in addition to learning how to harness energy from the wind. The end result will be a 17 foot wind turbine that can generate about 5,000 watts of electricity for our classroom use. If successful, smaller units will be constructed to help the elderly to reduce electricity costs.
Chris Sandifer, a senior at HSEP, is currently building a Tesla turbine. It only requires a few CD’s, part of a PVC pipe, and a few washers. It must be able to spin up to 20,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and not fall apart. This turbine will be connected to a generator that produces electricity. This project may be useful for providing electricity to urban homes.
In the Science R&D (Science Research and Development) class this year, students are preparing to do a series of high altitude atmospheric studies with the use of weather balloons. Working alongside Dr. Longmeir, an expert plasma rocket scientist, the students will design experiments that will cost less than $300 dollars and can be performed at altitudes up to 100,000 feet.
Along with renewable energy resources, students are also designing energy efficient vehicles. The students of HSEP are planning to design and build a small car that runs on compressed air. This project will began in spring 2010.
HSEP is an alternative energy school that prides itself in its excellent rocketry program. Last year Engineering Lab C class focused on designing and building a rocket that can go one mile high and carry a one pound payload. After it was launched they believe that their rocket went over 1 mile high. Unfortunately, the parachute didn’t deploy and it crashed. They learned from their mistakes and this year will move on to the transonic rocket. This is a rocket that will travel faster than the speed of sound and up to 13,000 feet high. HSEP is creating engineers for the future and Principal Mark Bedell has promised full administrative support.
These projects are teaching students about alternative energy, a growing field in engineering, as well as other engineering disciplines. They are enhancing the students’ career choices by giving real life engineering experiences, both theoretical and hands on. Some of the planned future projects include: a car that runs on bio-fuel, a rocket that can reach an altitude of 100,000 feet, and if dreams can come true, we would like to be the first high school to send a rocket into orbit.