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Students test effects of crashes on egg passengers |
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Sunday, 28 January 2007 |
 Shoshana Brackett/SDN Laura Leigh Hicks, a home school student, prepares to release a car she designed for the Mission Eggcellence Project held at the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems at Mississippi State University. By SHOSHANA BRACKETT
Starkville Daily News
The Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems at Mississippi State University held a Mission Eggcellence Project to teach students about the physics behind car crashes last weekend.
Students in kindergarten through sixth grade competed in multiple races to see whose passenger (a raw egg) survived the longest uninjured. The test ramp's incline was gradually increased until the winner was determined.
Twelve teams for a total of 27 students from public, private and home school organizations competed.
First place in the four competitions went to Ryann Cook, George Walter Ellis and Nathan Smith from Overstreet; Layton Little and Evan McBroom from Starkville Academy; Jackson Hicks, a home school student; and Colin Atwell and Matthew Christiansen, Starkville Academy students.
Student teams received Barnes and Noble gift certificates for placing in the competition. First place received $50 to share; 2nd, $30; and 3rd, $20.
Students built "cars" from kits provided to their teachers at a workshop in the fall.
"The kids loved it," Cuicchi said. "They really loved it."
The Mission Eggcellence Project serves to teach students about physics and mathematics through experimental applications in preventing passenger injury in car crashes.
"We're just trying to communicate the issues of safety related to car crashes," said Dr. Mark Horstemeyer, mechanical engineering professor and CAVS chair.
"That's part of it too, to get them aware," said Rosemary Cuicchi, PEAK teacher at Armstrong Middle School, and part-time CAVS K-12 outreach program coordinator.
"And, maybe some engineers will come along," Cuicchi said.
Student specifically focused on either bumper or seat belt design in the competitions.
"Automotive bumper construction and passenger restraint construction are the real world applications used to demonstrate the physics concepts," Cuicchi said.
In the fall, 20 teachers from Starkville and the surrounding communities participated in a teacher workshop held at CAVS. Attending teachers received instructions for eight custom-designed experiments demonstrating math and physics concepts and experiment materials for a class of up to 30 students.
Teachers taught their students physics and math concepts and then students competed in school competitions. The winners competed in the CAVS competition.
"Numerous positive comments have been received from teachers regarding the usefulness of the grade appropriate materials and how much their students have enjoyed applying these concepts to real work situations," Cuicchi said.
The teacher workshop and CAVS competition will become annual events, Cuicchi said. CAVS plans to hold another workshop in the fall for K-12 teachers and competitions for K-12 students in the winter of 2008.
Eventually, Horstemeyer said the goal is to grow into a state competition.
CAVS is also involved in the creation of an interactive display of the Mission Eggcellence Project for the Mississippi Children's Museum in Jackson set to break ground this year. The display will be part of "The World at Work" exhibit featuring career opportunities in Mississippi, including the automotive industry. CAVS works closely with Nissan, based in Canton.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 29 January 2007 )
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