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What better way to start the spring semester than with AWESOME projects for STEM III. Rest up during Winter Break to hit the ground running. To keep it fresh, all students will choose completely new teams to further develop your collaboration skills. We'll also introduce the innovation learning target to help you create desirable products for your sponsors. Are you ready for the 3rd quarter?
See the submission form in Google Classroom when your team is ready to submit your project preferences.
STEM teams will help the Challenger Center and their special "Micronaut" program for younger students. Our local Challenger Center at UTC is one of 44 centers around the world. However, they led the way for all the centers in developing a version of the Mars simulation for elementary-aged kids, affectionately called the Micronaut program. Each year our Challenger Center develops enhancements for the Micronaut program which they license to the other centers around the world. This year, Center Director Perry Storey wants to implement a space-station theme for the Micronaut program. He has asked STEM teams to design and create it. The new Micronaut Space Station will launch next year--if STEM students can come up with a solution. Failure is not an option (except as part of your prototyping process, of course!).
Challenger Center Mars Mission Space Station
Current Micronaut Space Station
STEM wouldn't be STEM without math! To improve student skills in math, the STEM School has consolidated all math classes in the Phase II hallway. To signify this is where math happens, we are asking STEM student teams to transform the hallway to let everyone know you're in Mathland. You'll need to move fast to design and build out the Math Hallway. Use your imaginations, be creative, and take advantage of Fablab capabilities to make this hallway your signature legacy for future STEM students!
One of our exceptional education teachers has worked with an 18 year old young woman for the past 6 years as part of a “home bound” education program. The young woman is completely non-ambulatory but enjoys art so our teacher will help move her arms so she can paint, do crafts, trace the alphabet, etc. This can be difficult to do so our teacher dreamed of a solution with a motorized arm support that could attach to her wheel chair and be controlled to move her arms. This project is to make that dream a reality.
Chattanoogan entrepreneur Kent Davis has a new business concept. He wants to create an indoor aquaponics farm that can operate year round and be profitable. This concept has tremendous potential to solve issues of "food deserts" and provide fresh food anywhere! While aquaponics technology has been improving, the key issue in this business concept is to be profitable. It needs to operate at scale and operate efficiently. That means automation technology that can reliably function with minimal human intervention. Think temperature sensors, chemical sensors, humidity sensors, water flow sensors and automated switches to control watering, lighting, and heating. Mr. Davis has already purchased the building for this future aquaponics farm--who will help build it?
If you've been downtown since summer, you've probably noticed that Miller Park is under major construction. The city of Chattanooga has torn out the former fountain and leveled the park to create a new and improved central point in the heart of downtown. River City Company has been instrumental in reimagining downtown to become a destination for Chattanoogans and tourists and now they're looking for STEM students to create an interactive experience for the park. The new Miller Park opens in the summer of 2018. What it looks like depends on you!
Every Phase II student knows the drill--swipe in and swipe out or face the wrath of Mrs. Pearson. What you don't know is that our barcode reader is not free. The STEM School pays a hefty annual price tag for the barcode reader and computer tracking system. Dr. Donen would like to use that money to benefit the school so he wondered whether STEM students could invent a barcode system which could eliminate this annual cost. This project would be a major resume accomplishment for future software developers and engineers. Dr. Donen is willing to invest money in the project because the savings in the long run will more than pay for it. Are you up for the challenge?
First...this project is not what you think it is (that is if you think it's a way to manage Phase II teachers). Our Phase II lead teacher, Mrs. Stanley, has observed tracking academic progress is time consuming for the Phase II team. These amazing teachers needs to keep up with learning labs, emails, attendance, progress, moving up the intervention chart and more! She believes a software program could be created in which teachers enter the beginning information and from that moment the student could be tracked through all levels and all classes and everyone would know the status at any time and emails could be generated. This project will be challenging but the rewards will be worth it--the everlasting gratitude of your Phase II teachers!
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