News from the STEM Office  

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MESA Day

Posted on: November 05, 2014 08:00 EST by Sarah Durkin

Friday, November 5, 2014 was not a typical school day for 240 assorted elementary school students gathered together from local counties and Baltimore City at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. These 4th and 5th graders spent the day participating in science and engineering activities hosted by Naval Academy faculty and midshipmen, in collaboration with Maryland Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MD MESA).

35 USNA midshipmen and 4 faculty staged a full day of hands-on activities focused on navy-relevant topics such as robotics, hull design, fluids principles, underwater vehicles, cryptography, materials properties, biofuels, polymers, properties of water, electrical circuits, and more, as well as mini engineering design competitions.

Students investigated buoyancy and hull design in the process of creating their own boats out of aluminum foil, competing to build a boat that could hold the most marbles.They learned the principles of engineering design while creating and launching rockets made out of straws, and building hoop gliders, spoon catapults and more. Students engaged in discovery as they investigated properties of water such as density and surface tension, learned about electrical circuits using conductive playdough, and made their own polymer "slime". They were challenged to program a robot to navigate a maze, and competed to design and modify an underwater glider that could travel the farthest. These and more activities excited the students about science and engineering.

Paula Shelton, Executive Director of MD MESA, was appreciative of the effort put forth by the midshipmen, "You all made a difference in the lives of 240 students today by sharing your knowledge and giving your time. Above all showing them that learning is fun."  

Event Photos

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