What do you get when you mix a little bit of Aviation Inspiration from the Wright Brothers, Newton's Laws of Motion and some eighth grade know-how? A drone competition!
This week's NewsDepth A+ Award goes to the eighth grade STEM class at Perry Middle School for learning about flight and physics and then applying their new knowledge by flying drones in their own drone competiton.
Eight teams from Blanche Davidson's STEM class competed against each other to complete four missions at the Perry Athletic Center Field House. The young aviators had to finish missions that showed off their speed through an obstacle course, photo-reconnaissance, search and rescue and their ability to move objects from one place to another.
“The students are really enjoying this unit on drones, possibly because of the competitive spirit, but understanding the how and why the drone operates makes it even more interesting. Ms. Davidson said that practice flying days "are their favorite.”
“The shape of the wings impacts flight. They make air denser underneath the wing than above. Eighth grade pilot Spencer said that "pushes the vessel up."
It was not all competition. The students spent the first part of their year learning all about the design process, flight and physics. They used CAD Programs, short for Computer Aided Design, to come up with a drone that can deliver a package to its destination in the fastest time possible.
Some of the challenges the students faced in designing their drones were budget and propeller size. They even met with a real UPS drone pilot from UPS Flight Forward Drone Delivery to learn about careers in this new industry.
This weeks' NewsDepth A+ Award goes to the Eighth grade STEM class at Perry Middle School for their use of the design process, great collaborative skills and use of technological literacy in designing, building and flying drones!
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