New education outreach initiative
In a classroom at Walatowa High Charter School at Jemez Pueblo, tables are covered with pencils, hot glue guns, remnants of balsa wood, and rulers.
A group of freshman and juniors have built bridges capable of bearing heavy loads. Now the tables stand abandoned, as the students cluster around Jennifer Johnson, Cadet First Class of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. She calls them forward, one group at a time. This is the moment of truth: the weight test.
Johnson helped lead this recent bridge-building workshop, part of a new joint effort between the Air Force Academy’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Outreach Project and the Lab’s Tribal Relations team in the Government Affairs Office.
“This important program provides students with many opportunities: hands-on STEM activities, an increased awareness of science careers, and an increased awareness of the USAF Academy and the academic and career opportunities available there,” said Elmer Torres of the Tribal Relations team. “The students enjoyed it, the teachers enjoyed it, and we were all invited back to the school.”
In the bridge-building workshop, students gingerly place the metal weights on their creations, five pounds at a time. The wood groans and flexes under the weight, before eventually breaking under the strain. Despite their apparent delicate appearance, the balsa wood bridges can sometimes hold seemingly unbelievable amounts of weight. The record, set by a group of sophomores and seniors, was 80 pounds.
Building bridges was just one of the experiments students completed on this day. Students also experimented with optical sensors attached to toy cars. They created filters to remove impurities from water mixed with red dye and small contaminants. They also experimented with a simple computer-programming tool, creating animated stories on their computer screens.
The workshop ended with a chemistry magic show, showcasing how chemicals can change the properties of things we take for granted.
“This is a chance for them to explore science and technology,” said Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Lynanne George. “This is our way of showing them they have the skills necessary to work in these fields. We hope, at the end of the day, that they enjoy these activities enough to consider pursuing them in the future.”
