Thursday, March 13, 2014

Virginia Tech KTU exhibits on March 22nd!


The exhibits below are for KTU registered kids and parents in the Virginia Tech Kids' Tech University program on March 22nd! 

Exhibit title- "Weather Balloons and the Atmosphere"

Students will experiment with loading pennies into cups attached to helium-filled balloons, testing to see how many they can load before the balloon can no longer rise. Connections will be drawn to the importance of using helium in weather balloons and keeping the payload as light as possible. Students will also make Cartesian divers to experience the effects of fluid pressure changes.


Group hosting exhibit- Atmospheric Teaching Experiment


The Atmospheric Teaching Experiment (ATEx) is an educational outreach project that uses high altitude weather balloon experiments to teach K-12 students about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines. The ATEx curriculum, developed by the Outreach Team, includes a one hour Pre-Launch classroom workshop, a three hour launch event incorporating many demonstrations and activities, and a one hour Post-Launch classroom workshop. The ATEx Design Team designs and builds custom weather balloon payloads to be flown at the public launch event.

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Exhibit title- "Studio STEM: Save the Seabirds"

Each child and parent will be able to explore aspects of Studio STEM’s Save the Seabirds. Through a series of stations, attendees will be able to look at multiple aspects of how to build a solar powered Lego cart. They will examine the different types of solar panels along with types of wheels to see how each can affect the solar Lego car. Children will be able to see an assembled solar car pulling “seabird eggs” to safety. Our program is geared toward middle school-age students, but children of all ages would enjoy the opportunity to explore how solar cars work.

Group hosting exhibit- Studio STEM

Studio STEM challenges students to creatively solve real-world issues related to energy and the environment. Through activities, students construct knowledge of science and math by actively manipulating and testing ideas and materials. Web-based activities are integral as students present work, discuss strategies, and document processes online. Studio STEM gives students insight into the engineering world by exploring and applying grade level math and science subject matter in real world, real-time problems.
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Exhibit title- "VT Motorsports-Formula SAE"

Virginia Tech Formula SAE participates in Kids' Tech University to interact with bright young minds and bring to them the ever expanding opportunity in STEM career and education fields. We very much enjoy speaking with and showcasing the work of our students with the kids and their parents, often showing of the immediate past competition race car as well as the ever-popular broken parts of past years. We go through how we use our formal knowledge from the classroom and apply that to our work with the team and on the car. Often many of the children are able to sit in the car and steer as if their professional drivers our on the track. We look forward to showcasing our project and an awesome opportunity in engineering education.

Group hosting exhibit- VT Formula SAE

VT Formula SAE is a non-profit organization that challenges Virginia Tech engineering students to design and fabricate a Formula style race car from initial concept to reality. Upon completion of the car, the team participates in a formal competition that judges the design and performance of the race car. Virginia Tech’s Formula SAE team draws some of the best and brightest engineers and has consistently been a top contender at competition, most recently finishing 13th out of 120 at the 2013 competition in Michigan. The team is composed of over 100 students, freshman to seniors from 5 different engineering disciplines as well as business and communications students.

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