The main activity focused on Walkalong Gliders where students and teachers designed and tested lightweight and slow flying model aircrafts. Erik Herman from Xraise was posed with questions about how the gliders worked, the type of materials used to make them and hypothetical questions about what would happen to the gliders in different environments. After making their gliders, the students got to test them around the room and improve on their design.
Another activity facilitated by Xraise was Motor Inventions; students and teachers were guided to make a battery pack to power a small hobby motor which was then outfitted to build something that would vibrate or move around. The group spent some time designing their contraption and then had fun playing with it. The students and teachers then got to take their designs home and spend more time improving it and sharing with their peers at school.
The Onondaga Middle School visit was organized by the Diversity Programs in Engineering (DPE) office and the American Indian Program at Cornell University (AIP). We would like to thank both offices for asking Xraise to be an integral part of this outreach initiative.