Texas Tech University Center for Engineering Outreach
TTU Home College of Engineering Center for Engineering Outreach News Article

March 6, 2005

Rainy Saturday Can't Keep Engineering Outreach Down

Afternoon rain Saturday did not stop a group of elementary and junior high students from launching rockets at Texas Tech.

Tech's College of Engineering helped 30 students from Dunbar Junior High, Iles Elementary and Hodges Elementary assemble and launch rockets, as part of the Tech's Center for Engineering Outreach program.

The students spent the last two months preparing and assembling their rockets for Saturday's launch. More than 20 rockets were launched, some reaching an altitude of about 1,800 feet.

John Chandler, a director for the Center for Engineering Outreach and part of the College of Engineering at Tech, said the program is a unique way to teach children math and science. The students learned how to work with computer programs to teach them how to make their rockets go as high as possible.

The program involves students at Tech as well as Estacado High School, working as mentors for other students.

Stephanie Johnson, a dance teacher at Iles Elementary and a participant in the program, said that the help cycle filters down. The students in college and high school help those in junior high and elementary school.

“A lot of kids in Quadrant Four (a Lubbock Independent School District area designation including schools mainly in Northeast Lubbock) don't know they can do things like this,” Johnson said. “They don't know that they can go to college, and possibly get paid for it, and with the help of Tech and Estacado students, and doing things like this, they realize that they can.”

Jennifer Onita, a senior engineering major at Tech and volunteer with the program, said that she will go help students about twice a week, but some volunteers will go as much as every day, during the week.

“The kids are always eager and interested to learn new things,” she said, “especially the younger ones.”

The program includes students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and encourages learning of math and science. Johnson said that much of what the children are tested on in the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test is applied to the projects they work on, such as rocket building.

The children from the elementary schools are chosen for the project through an application process, and have a chance to participate in these projects every semester.