About 40 young students learnt some space-age skills while having fun with LEGO blocks at the CQU Young Engineers Summer
Author: youngEnG
STEM made fun at space workshop
CQUniversity Young Engineers held a two-day STEM space workshop for children in the Bundaberg Region this week.
CQUniversity’s Pavle Jeric said it aimed to show children the range of careers available in science, technology, engineering, and maths.
“There’s a lot of preconceptions about what working as a scientist really means,” he said.
“It conjures images of a person in a white coat working in a chemistry lab, but there’s actually a huge variety.”
Children who dream of working in the space industry have been given an opportunity to learn about the science behind the job.
They’ve built an electronics kit, the first of its kind in Queensland, at a Young Engineers camp.
Young engineers uncover building blocks of life
Bright young minds from across regional Queensland spent the last days of their school holidays immersed in fun and engaging challenges, as CQUniversity hosted a series of Young Engineers STEM workshops.
Each challenge was designed to spark a student’s passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by igniting their creativity and problem-solving skills through the use of LEGO®.
Event organiser CQUniversity Deputy Director of Online Systems and Future Proofing Pavle Jeric said this year’s theme of ‘Amazing challenges that great teams can tackle’ focused on teamwork and collaboration.
A Lego-themed holiday camp is giving local kids hands-on experience and challenges in the hope they take up a career in STEM.
CQ uni is hosting the camp, using the building blocks to teach coding and science through play.
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Young Engineers on Channel 9 News
CQUni hosts Young Engineers Lego Robotics camp
The school holidays haven’t wrapped up yet, but local youngsters can’t wait to get back into learning.
CQUniversity Australia is hosting a Young Engineers Lego Robotics camp, where students can put their critical thinking to the test.
Dubbo to host robotics and engineering workshops on January 13 and 14
LEGO will help build the robotics and engineering knowledge of about 100 primary school children at workshops in Dubbo this month.
Sydney-based e2 Young Engineers has included the city in its 2020 country NSW tour aimed at boosting appreciation for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
“When you think of science in schools, most people picture a teacher with a lab coat scribbling formulas on the whiteboard” said spokesman Chee Wong.
“We make functional motorised Lego prototypes of race cars, jelly blenders, drills, compactors and much more.
“Obviously the students are having fun but more importantly they are also learning about gears, pulleys, motors and the underpinning science and technology in a highly engaging manner.”
Mr Wong said LEGO helicopters taught students about the physics underpinning flight.
“LEGO washing machine teach students about torque and centrifugal forces,” he said.
“LEGO compactors are used to explore the positive and destructive nature of vibration.
“There is so much we can learn using Lego as the prototyping tool.”
Mr Wong said workshop participants were “constantly counting, multiplying and solving problems” when building LEGO models.
Dubbo South Public School will host the workshops on January 13 and 14.
To register visit www.trybooking.com/BFQQU
For more information go to www.young-engineers.com.au
Young Engineers ready to help locals learn with the aid of Lego
MOTORISED Lego race cars, jelly blenders and helicopters will feature when robotics and engineering experts visit Bathurst next month.
The experts of E2 Young Engineers Australia say they will be teaching year one to six students about belt transmission, angular momentum and lift force – but in an unconventional way.
Two workshops will be held at Bathurst High and E2 Young Engineers Australia’s Chee Wong says they are set to be an eye-opener.
“When you think of science in schools, most people picture a teacher with a lab coat scribbling formulas on the whiteboard,” Mr Wong said.
“We make functional motorised Lego prototypes of race cars, jelly blenders, drills, compactors and much more.
“Obviously, the students are having fun, but more importantly they are also learning about gears, pulleys, motors and the underpinning science and technology in a highly engaging manner.
“Lego helicopters teach students about the physics underpinning flight.
“Lego washing machines teach students about torque and centrifugal forces. Lego compactors are used to explore the positive and destructive nature of vibration.
“There is so much we can learn using Lego as the prototyping tool.
“These kids are constantly counting, multiplying and solving problems so they can complete their Lego models.”
Mr Wong said it was pleasing to hear from parents “that their child can’t wait for the next lesson”.
He said it was imperative that students develop an appreciation for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) from a young age “because it is such a big part of the technology-driven world we live in”.
“Even if one does not end up pursuing a career in STEM, there is plenty of fascinating science and technology happening right before our eyes to enlighten and brighten up our daily lives,” he said.
The workshops will be held on Monday and Tuesday, January 20 and 21.
It’s just one small step for Lego kind
It’s not rocket science for 12 Rostrata Primary School students who celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing by using Lego to build a complicated Lego space vehicle.
Nearly 200 students have attended the after-school Lego engineering classes since July 2015 at the school.
Astronauts are trained in the art of problem solving, under immense pressure and students from year three to six demonstrated a great sense of independence when it came to fixing things.
Young Engineers e2 instructor Joseph Jurisich said it’s important for young students to be exposed to the complexities of problem solving even if they don’t become astronauts.
“Seeing the joy that my students experience when their curiosity and imagination is realised and their models are successful is really rewarding,” he said.
“I’m often surprised at the Lego engineering abilities of students so young.”
According to Mr Jurisich Lego is a versatile toy and educational tool that most students are already familiar with.
“I find it difficult to explain how a differential works but getting the students to build it themselves and watch it work leads to a deeper and more intuitive understanding,” he said.
“When the students finish their models they always want to do more.
“They ask me what should I do next and it’s fun coming up with new challenges, making it faster, bigger, giving it a trailer and a steering wheel.”
After building the prototypes the students at Rostrata primary school would go back to their models and find ways to improve the stock design.
“They all want to complete the model perfectly and when they make a mistake some of them can find it especially challenging,” Mr Jurisich said.
“So I just remind them that even NASA isn’t perfect and plenty of rockets blew up before they got any- where near the moon.”
Young Engineers e2 offers a Lego experience that encourages children to be more STEM-ready (science, technology, engineering, math).
In October, adults will be getting on board with the experience and start delivering Lego workshops with corporate partners.