Saturday, March 08, 2008

...March NSBE Jr. Meeting...

The March meeting was all about planes. The turnout was great; it was a meeting with mostly new faces. The students arrived to learn about geometry and they completed very difficult problems which had even the mentors looking at answer keys for help.

After math warm-up problems, the students took some time to get to know each other. The icebreaker involved learning facts about the other students. A few brave volunteers were able to recite three names of people they had just met that day.

The guest speaker for the March NSBE Jr meeting was Ben Henderson. Ben is retired from both the US Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration. He is currently a pilot and is in the process of starting a non-profit organization to teach kids how to fly. Ben spoke about being the best at whatever you attempt to do in life. He also answered questions ranging from how the average auto pilot works on planes, to how pilots can see in the fog. The kids enjoyed getting first -hand interaction with an experienced pilot.

After Mr. Henderson motivated the students about aviation, it was their turn to build their own gliders. The gliders were built from a single sheet of balsa wood, and they took many different forms. The April NSBE Jr meeting with determine which of the gliders flies the farthest.

Three of the students will be attending the National Convention in Orlando, Fl, thanks to Applied Materials. The students will have travel, hotel, and conference registration entirely paid for by the company. The National Convention will give the students an opportunity to learn about engineering disciplines, get hands on experience in various workshop sessions, and meet other young, bright minds from all over the country. They are very excited about their upcoming trip and will give an update to the group upon their return.

Please join us at the next NSBE Jr meeting on April 12, 2008.

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