LSSU students volunteer to teach STEM concepts to children in the area


SAULT STE. MARY – A few engineering students who are members of the Baja Club of the Society of Automotive Engineers at Lake Superior State University have started volunteering at Sault Area Middle School to promote STEM education.

The Baja Club is a student organization in which volunteer activity is primarily sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers International, a parent organization. Dr Zakaria Mahmud, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Lake Superior State University and also faculty advisor at Lake State’s Society of Automotive Engineers Baja Club, said the Society of Automotive Engineers International is sponsoring free STEM kits at K- institutions. 8 participants. to enable engineering students to work with the school teacher in hands-on STEM education.

From September 13, these students teach and help grade seven students build and test fuel cell cars. The program is scheduled to last three to four weeks from 1:15 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This activity will end with an internal race between the teams.

“It’s all about STEM education,” Mahmud said in an email. “Seventh grade students have a unique opportunity to engage with future engineers to learn, design, assemble and understand advancements in automotive technologies, especially in alternative energy sources through an exciting and fun hands-on activity. This volunteering will provide a high quality education for seventh graders and should excite our future STEM workforce.

Engineering students directly involved in this volunteer effort include Evan Wujcik, club president, Breanna Kemppainen, Katherine Mendrick, Carter Stark, Pascal Klimes, Patrick Bickings and Eli Fournier. These students follow COVID-19 guidelines as required by Sault Area Middle School as well as Lake State. If necessary, Mahmud said this activity could be modified for distance learning.

To kick off the program, Mahmud said the Society of Automotive Engineers International initially contacted club advisers about the volunteer opportunity. The goal of the program was to develop the interests of K-8 students in the STEM field. From there, Mahmud began discussions with local principals in 2018. The first program was held in 2018 for elementary school students in Washington, where they built gravity-propelled and balloon cars. In 2019, Lake State students volunteered at Lincoln Elementary School with fourth-grade students to build straw rockets.

“The kit comes with all the parts needed to build the car, except for the distilled water,” Mahmud said. “Water, along with battery-powered electricity, produces hydrogen gas that drives the car. Lake State students will provide basic engineering education including strength, mass, energy sources, green energy sources, and more. With the help of engineering students, the seventh graders will redesign the car for better performance and compete against the other teams.

Mahmud added that each of the 10 teams will work on their kit on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for about three or four weeks until they are ready to compete with other teams. Typically, a few Lake State students visit the college at a time. Mahmud said that although the lesson plan is preconceived, engineering students work closely with the STEM teacher to achieve the goals for each day. After each team’s competition, the cars will be disassembled and stored in the original box for future use.

“I think this is a great opportunity for Lake State students and K-8 students to participate in a hands-on activity,” said Mahmud. “Lake State maintains a strong engineering program where students are allowed to participate in community outreach programs.”

For more information on Lake Superior State University, visit www.lssu.edu. For more information on Sault Area Middle School, visit www.saultschools.org/page/1302.

– Contact reporter Taylor Worsham at [email protected].

About Mark A. Tomlin

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