Thank you to Lauren for forwarding the gorgeous video! Dutch artist Theo Jansen, intricately conjoined plastic tubes, wood and sails, and formed beautiful and complex works of art. Mr. Jansen makes some interesting claims about the definitions of life and asks whether his many-legged skeletons that move so fluidly and autonomously can be called a new, engineered life form. Ferris Jabr’s February 2014 post eloquently posed the questions to provoke those conversations of ethics and philosophy needed to temper the hands of engineers. I invite your kids to learn more. Come and join me for Engineering Saturdays in May and June and discuss not only the physics and math of engineering, but the meaning and purpose as well.
5 Saturday Engineering Workshops
11 am to 3 pm
Baden Academy Media Lab
Grades 3-8 (high school can apply as interns)
REGISTER
May 17 Cardboard Arcade Games
Come make an arcade game out of cardboard! Kids will design and build awesome creations using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination. Celebrate the creativity and imagination of “Caine’s Arcade.”
May 24 NASA Design Challenge
Become part of space history and have your name recorded as a virtual crew member on Orion’s inaugural mission to Mars. We will study the effects of radiation on human space travelers and analyze different materials that simulate space radiation shielding for Orion.
May 31 Bridge Building
Can you build a bridge that can stand the weight? Learn to design, build and break a variety of bridge designs.
June 7 Catapults and Trebuchets
Participants will design and build their own catapult/trebuchet. They will then finish with a competition launch. How far can you fling? Disclaimer: We are not flinging a piano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6zmMWfzv38
June 14 Re-purposed Motors
Bring an old toy with a working motor with batteries to power it. We will be tearing apart the old toys and innovating new ones with a new knowledge of how motors work.
Limit: 22 students per camp.
Cost per student is $45 for the first camp; $30 for each additional camp.