POUGHKEEPSIE – Several YouthBuild students from Nubian Directions in Poughkeepsie were participating in outdoor science projects despite the steady rainfall on Friday. YouthBuild Program Director Mario Johnson said the students didn’t mind the weather and they wanted to test their projects.
Grouped into smaller teams, the 16-24-year-old students used their newfound knowledge obtained from the STEAMER (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) program to design packaging that would protect a fresh egg when dropped from different heights. The students designed their package/delivery system in the classroom on Main Street and then walked to the Financial Parking Deck to test their designs.
“While learning design and engineering concepts while working in a team environment, the students really embraced the project and had fun,” said Johnson. The students used a variety of vessels to hold the decorated egg and attached it to a parachute, dropped it from various levels of the parking deck, and tried to hit a designated target. Many of the teams used plastic grocery-style bags as parachutes to slow the egg’s descent to the target.
The goal was for each team to make a successful drop from each level without breaking the egg, to be named the winner. Johnson declared a three-way tie after all of the teams made their attempts.
The engaged students, according to Johnson, are mostly students who have dropped out or were expelled from Poughkeepsie High School. YouthBuild’s goal is to provide the youth with the education they left behind in high school.
Video of part of the testing:
