Lakehead Offers Hands-On Learning for Intermediate Students During National Engineering Week
(March 4, 2011 " Thunder Bay, ON) Over 160 grades 6 - 8 students competed in challenging and fun competitions as part of National Engineering Week, February 26 " March 6, 2011, hosted by the Lakehead Chapter of Professional Engineers Ontario, the Faculty of Engineering at Lakehead University, and Union Gas Ltd.
Teams of students came to Lakehead University campus to build bridges, make catapults, and have a junk drawer war. Following the creative competitions, the students toured the University's engineering laboratories with members of the Engineering Student Society (ESS).
Bill Gross, science teacher for grade 7 and 8 students at Ecole Gron Morgan, was thrilled by his students' learning experience. "It's wonderful for students to have authentic learning opportunities outside the classroom. The students just love to come and the competitive aspect really fires them up and adds a real sense of excitement."
Prior to competition, students use online sources, texts, and help from teachers to learn and review basic principles of structure and design to help them on competition day. The bridge building competition is judged on how much weight a popsicle stick bridge can support over a span of sixteen inches. Bishop E.Q. Jennings took first prize in the bridge building competition, with second place going to Ecole Gron Morgan whose bridge supported 12.91 kilograms. The bridges this year were impressive, organizers had to fetch more weight as the judging was taking place!
The activities were held to celebrate National Engineering Month, sponsored by the National Engineering Week Ontario Steering Committee (NEWOSC). The competitions are run by the student chapters of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE), the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), and the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME).
Grades 6 " 8 students from all elementary schools in the Thunder Bay area were invited to participate. Prizes were awarded for the first, second, and third place teams in each competition.
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Media: For more information please contact the event organizer, Dr. Meilan Liu, at 807-343-8952 or mliu@lakeheadu.ca. Or contact Janine Chiasson, Communications Officer, at 807-343-8177 or commun@lakeheadu.ca.
About National Engineering Week
National Engineering Month (NEM) is a Canada-wide,
month long celebration designed to raise the awareness of engineering and
engineering technology and the contributions they make to our daily lives. It
also encourages young people to consider careers in the engineering field. Each
province and territory selects a suitable week, and this year Ontario will be
celebrating engineering from February 26 through March 6, 2011.
About Lakehead
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. With a main campus located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and a campus in Orillia, Ontario, Lakehead has over 8,280 students and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. In 2006, Research Infosource Inc. named Lakehead University Canada's Research University of the Year in the undergraduate category. For more information on Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca