Different Lubbock ISD middle schools launched the fifth annual STEM competition Friday, this time testing gliders.
“This is my favorite day of the whole year for my job,” said Jessica Spott, senior program administrator for STEM CORE. “It’s really exciting to see the students get really excited about it. We see the awesome partnership and potential between our Texas Tech students and our Lubbock ISD teachers.”
Students only had seven days to design, test and create a glider using only a limited amount of supplies. Elizabeth Smart, a student competing in the event, said she enjoyed the challenge.
“I think this week was a lot of fun because not only did we actually get to build, but we came up with the design ourselves and so because we came up with the design ourselves, it benefits us in a way that allows us to see what everyone does,” said Smart.
In order to compete, students had to be hand selected by their teachers. Those selected demonstrated a love for engineering and a curiosity for aerodynamics. Nathan Hilton, a teacher at Evans Middle School, said this program is the closest students can get to the real deal.
“This program is amazing,” said Hilton. “It gives them real world, hands-on experience for the engineering design solution process. It is probably one of the most realistic examples that LISD students can get in a middle school.”
Despite many gliders going well over 30 feet, Evans Middle School took first place with a glider landing more than 50 feet.
“We weren’t initially confident in ourselves, but when we saw that we made 56 feet, we knew we had done it,” said Smart. “It really was an incredible moment.”
The STEM program plans to continue the competition next year, but next time they plan to experiment with hover boards instead of gliders.
