Project Lead the Way!

Some students at Webster City High School are learning the ins-and-outs of engineering and architecture. Some are even earning college credit!

Webster City High School is a certified school that is able to offer Engineering credit to high school students that pass their National final exam at the end of each engineering course, according to science instructor Matt Manson.

For the past five years, Webster City High School has been a PLTW (Project Lead the Way) school, and in this program they offer Introduction to Engineering (IED), Principles of Engineering (POE), Civil Engineering and Architecture (CEA), and Biotechnical Engineering (BE).

This year, five of the 13 students in Manson’s CEA class are eligible to earn Iowa credit. And all of the students in POE and IED will receive ICCC credit.

Below is a video that shows what this program has to offer as well as some of the activities students do in class.

The CEA class had been working on their final project and presented them to the public on May 14, 2013.

“This was a real world activity where students were placed in engineering teams and told to develop a plot of land that can be used by the public,” Manson said. “The land given to students was located around the High School tennis courts.”

Students then had to research the zoning laws, building codes, soil properties, and existing utilities before creating their building. Students also learned how to survey the land.

They created 3D buildings on Revit as well as detailed plans about how to construct their buildings that can be used by contractors. Students also estimated how much their proposal would cost to build and created a timeline of the construction.

“The CEA class is a hands-on class that challenges students to think like an engineer to solve problems,” Manson said.

Below are some photos of the student groups presenting their projects.

Students Bryan J. and Blake N. created an indoor pool:

Students Shane G. and Austin K. created a hockey complex:

Students Chris P. and Cooper J. created an indoor football/tennis stadium:

Students Samuel B. and Cameron A created the Lynx Palace:

And students Colin H. and Kenton J. created a paintball arena:

In the POE class, students had to create a device that would shoot a ping pong ball. Students had to adjust their devices to see how angle and velocity would change the distance their ball traveled.

The final activity was to calculate the angle and force needed to land the ball at a specific distance.

Below are videos of the students discussing how their machine works and then watching the machine shoot the ball a certain distance.

Student Chris T. explains their device with fellow students Noah E. and Cooper J. in the background:

And students Daniel T. and Ryan G. explain their air-powered device:

“All engineering classes are hands-on and integrate a lot of science and math,” instructor Manson said. “Students need to be able to explain their ideas in a descriptive and persuasive manner.”

Way to go, students!