Randy Haddock (standing) teaches preschoolers from the Child Studies Center about bridges
Peering in through the window of the CEE/CET Project Studio from the hallway of the Engineering Systems Building, one might think that Engineering Fundamentals Division lecturer Randy Haddock was practicing a presentation for an upcoming class session to an empty room. Upon further scrutiny into the studio, however, the tops of the heads of 25 three- to five-year-olds could be spied. Listening ever so attentively to the animated man at the front of the room, the children come into view only once having entered the room, all seated cross-legged and primed for new bridge knowledge.
This week's learning unit at the ODU Children's Learning and Research Center is all about engineering. The students will visit, in addition to Haddock's project studio, Stacie Ringleb, associate professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering, in a design laboratory and Vukica Jovanovic, assistant professor in engineering technology, in the engineering technology department.
The interactive display put on in the project studio by Haddock captivated the young learners. Exploring such elevated engineering topics in a manner easily appreciated by preschool-aged children, Haddock guided his visitors through a lesson on bridge-building. From singing nursery rhymes to teamed-up tasks to shape recognition games, the excitement in the studio nearly bubbled over at times. Following the "classroom" session, Haddock took the children to view bridges built by ODU Engineering undergraduate students for past AISC-ASCE National Steel Bridge Competitions, strengthening intangible concepts with tangible examples.
In the design laboratory, Ringleb produced to a wave of audible awes balloon-powered cars with different designs and each made with diverse wheel types. This exercise exhibited how the shape of the car and the wheel size affects car operation. From there, the children devised ways to improve the balloon-powered car speed by brainstorming ideas with their teachers and telling them to Drs. Ringleb and Jovanovic, who helped turn their ideas into updated car designs. This led to a car race gauging the results of the modifications.
Finally, the classes were exposed to robotics, programming and electronics - mechatronics - through a demonstration by a pair of sumo robots controlled by Jovanovic.
During the warmer months, the unit can be taught, in part, outside with the help of Ringleb's husband, a NASA aerodynamicist. He brings in small planes for the children to fly and makes wings they can strap onto their arms to show the significance of wings for planes.
The engineering learning unit was devised a few years back by Christy Charlton, lead teacher for the three-, four-, and five-year old learners at Child Studies, under the guidance of Ringleb. Charlton had originally envisioned the activity as a one-time activity but, once implemented, realized the impact the engineering unit was having on the children.
On Charlton's part, the unit has grown with more hands-on activities outside of the engineering college as well, including an egg drop activity and participation in the University's annual pumpkin drop competition, which the preschoolers won this past fall.