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Each Friday afternoon, youth from Grant Intermediate School in Trenton put their engineering design skills to work during STEM sessions led by Mercer County 4-H. For over 15 years, 4-H has partnered with Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County to bring hands-on educational programming to youth at 21st Century Community Learning Centers throughout Trenton during the afterschool hours.
On Friday, January 26, the students discussed climate change, electricity, conventional and renewable energy sources, and sustainability before exploring the power of wind. The youth worked in teams to design and test blades for a model wind turbine. Using a multimeter, the teams monitored changes in voltage when various sizes, shapes, materials, and pitches of blades were incorporated into their turbine.
The youth used the data from their initial efforts to tweak their designs before participating in additional rounds of testing and a friendly competition. The program’s weekly engineering design challenges are a fun and engaging way for the youth to practice their problem-solving and teamwork skills while learning a variety of science concepts and becoming more confident in their STEM abilities.
