(Hazard, Kentucky) – Three teams from Clay County Middle School visited the Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky at Hazard recently as part of the Kentucky Space Movie Project. Students from Sheryl Bowling’s Multi Media class had created short science fiction movies and were visiting the campus in Hazard to showcase their movies and participate in space engineering based projects.
Over the last few months, students developed a concept, wrote, directed, acted in, shot and edited their films. The project helped the students work on their writing skills and learn more about engineering and space related science. They identified “teamwork” as the thing they learned the most. In order to complete the project they had to communicate and work together like never before.
In addition to seeing their movies projected on the big screen at Hazard Community and Technical College, the students worked to solve several engineering challenges organized by Challenger Learning Center’s Joe Collins. Using an array of materials, the student teams had a limited time to design, construct, test and report on machines they built to accomplish specific goals. One mission was to move a nuclear bomb (soda can) to a safe area without touching the bomb with their hands. Another was to build a tower to hold power sources at least six inches apart. Still another had students launch a projectile twenty-five feet across the room to hit an incoming asteroid (coffee can).
Yes, they hit the asteroid. We have video to prove it. Also take a few minutes to watch the science fiction movies. Kentucky Space Movie Project.
So these students used their imagination to travel and explore our universe. Then just for fun they stopped an incoming asteroid in order to save the world. After watching these young people interact, think, test, fail and make corrections, I feel a little safer about the earth’s future.
