​On Saturday, November 18th, we hosted our Engineering Design Workshop at the Allied Gardens/Benjamin Library, where 35 kids worked together in groups to build cars. We began by listening to a short lecture on the basics of engineering design, including what it is and what steps it requires. Then, we started our main activity, which was building cars. The first step was identifying the problem: how to go from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Then, we reviewed knowledge on friction, air resistance, mass, weight distribution, and potential and kinetic energy that would be helpful to keep in mind when building the cars. After that, we went to the second step, which was sketching the car designs. The kids used the material list to plan their designs for ten minutes, and then they moved on to prototyping. They made a first version of their car using cardboard, tape, hot glue, straws, and many other materials, keeping in mind that they had the opportunity to improve upon it later. After a quick snack break, the kids tested their cars on ramps around the room, and used their experiences to try and improve their cars. One girl commented that “this is my favorite part because it’s super fun!” Finally, after the redesigning, all the groups competed against each other. Their cars were evaluated on three criteria — fastest, most materially efficient, and best-looking. Overall, the girls had lots of fun, with one of them saying that “I really want to come back.”

On November 13th, UVA AGSS hosted a workshop on Sound Waves! Students were first given an overview of the physics behind sound waves. They learned that all sound is actually just energy created by a chain reaction of vibrating particles. They then were taught how to identify the parts of a sound wave, such as compression and rarefaction, and how animals use sound waves in the form of echolocation to find objects.
​
After learning about the science behind how guitars amplify sound, we then guided them through our activity for the day: rubber band banjos! Students created their own instruments with paper plates, rubber bands, and a wooden stick, and let their imagination run wild with the decorations. We loved hearing everyone’s banjo songs and seeing their creative designs!