Students demonstrate ingenuity at BOCES summer camp

Posted 7/31/19

Students attending Ulster BOCES Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Advanced Manufacturing Camp on July 8-11 used Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to track the energy efficiency of a toy …

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Students demonstrate ingenuity at BOCES summer camp

Posted

Students attending Ulster BOCES Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Advanced Manufacturing Camp on July 8-11 used Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to track the energy efficiency of a toy car. Students applied the laws of physics and modified rough-hewn wooden cars to make them faster and more efficient. They collaborated, they competed, and they had fun.

The 19 regional students who attended the camp at the Port Ewen-based Career & Technical Center learned about collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and innovation without being aware of what they were learning because they were motivated by the fun they were having.

Kingston City School District student Luca Catalano said he appreciated learning how to make his car as aerodynamic as possible. “I did it by shaving off the sides and some off the top,” Catalano explained.

Camper Finnian Reiter said moderation is key. “I learned how much ‘a little’ makes a difference and not to give up. Really small improvements can make big changes in the long run,” said the Wallkill Central School District student.

Campers used SolidWorks, a modeling computer-aided design (CAD) program, to design their cars and used instruments such as sandpaper, Dremel tools, and hand saws to make improvements. They used a 52-foot, seven-inch CO2 race car track as a tool that propelled the cars and then they calculated the speeds and converted them from inches to seconds to miles per hour, which helped them to deduce what additional adjustments could be made to improve their projects.

Students at the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Advanced Manufacturing Camp hailed from the Highland, Kingston, Wallkill, Saugerties, New Paltz, Rondout Valley, and Rhinebeck school districts.