ACADEMICS
Engineering students experiment with their mobile obscura.
Transforming How Blair Introduces Engineering to Students Head of School Peter G. Curran was driving down the road last summer, when he spied Blair science teacher Chris Thatcher—on top of a local farmer’s barn. “Is that Chris Thatcher?” he asked. “It wouldn’t surprise me. He might be trying out an experiment for class.” In fact, when Chris Thatcher was not climbing ladders and jumping on barns, the pioneering science teacher did spend his summer conducting experiments for Blair’s new elective, Engineering Science. Open to students in the 11th or 12th grades who have completed or are taking physics, Engineering Science is a new course designed for students interested in pursuing engineering as a field of study or possible future profession. Unlike most traditional classes, however, this course’s curriculum is the brainchild of
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NASA engineers and secondary education specialists from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. The program also offers teachers the rare opportunity to sample the curriculum as pupils themselves; last summer, Mr. Thatcher worked in teams with teachers from around the country to solve the curriculum’s engineering challenges, experiencing the course from a unique perspective.
Course Origins Blair’s new course originated through a serendipitous turn of events. In 2008, the National Science Foundation awarded UT at Austin a $12.5-million grant to develop innovative solutions for high school engineering education. In collaboration with NASA engineers, UT faculty developed a series of secondary
school courses designed to empower students to use creativity and analytical problem-solving to find solutions to real-world challenges. Whether it is launching a spacecraft or delivering safe, clean water to communities, in modern life, professional engineers find solutions to pressing problems. The UT program sought to design courses that would help secondary school students step into that role of professional engineer. A few basic principles guided the resulting curriculum, including that all course activities are “scaffolded” and build upon each lesson learned; that the standardized engineering design process acts as a framework for all projects; that students engage in simplified and meaningful activities that professional engineers undertake; and that all design challenges have multiple successful solutions. When Blair science department chair Kelly Hadden saw that a window had opened to apply to the UT program, she quickly consulted with her colleagues. “Engineering is growing in importance as a foundational experience for our science students,” she said. “This was a great opportunity to introduce Blair students to different kinds of engineering—mechanical, chemical, environmental—in a hands-on learning environment.” Blair applied to the program and, along with a limited number of secondary schools from across the nation, was accepted. That is how Mr. Thatcher found himself, in the summer of 2021, conducting all manner of science experiments, from building towers that can withstand earthquakes to brewing the “perfect” cup of coffee.
