The first year of the program
is designed to introduce the students to engineering. The curriculum
begins with a review of the different fields of engineering, then
follows on throughout the year with lessons that last approximately
three weeks each covering selected areas in depth.
The following is an example of one the modules taught in the
first year. This particular module last approximately five weeks.
Civil Engineering
One of the sessions that was completely in depth dealt with Civil
Engineering. This portion was a follow on to a three week session
in which the students learned basic mechanical engineering concepts
such and tension, compression, stress, and strain. The civil engineering
lessons included truss systems. By the end of the lesson students
had to be able to analyze a truss system and determine if is was
stable. All of the students in the class were able to performed
the required skills when evaluated.
To reinforce these skills, software
from the West Point Bridge design contest website was downloaded onto
all of the computers in the computer lab at the high school.
The conclusion of the Civil Engineering
lesson included two weeks in which students were teamed in groups
of two, provided with the needed tools and materials, and given
specifications for a bridge to be built with pop-sickle sticks.
The bridge specifications came from a local contest sponsored
by Jacobs-Sverdrup, a local engineering contractor to the U.S.
Air Force that employees over 600 engineers and scientists in
the Fort Walton Beach area. The top three teams were selected
to represent Choctaw in the bridge competition.
One interesting note is that the students
were what could be considered typical in demeanor during research and
lecture. However, when exposed to the software, they gravitated to it
and became immersed in it for days. Very little instruction was required.
They were allowed to enter their designs in the West Point Competition,
and two of the students made it to the top 1,000 out of 150,000 entries.
We speculate that if the entries were made earlier, that these students
would have most likely gained a rank in the top 100 due to the fact
that the computer at West Point ranked iterations by the date submitted.
