On December 5th, 9 young ladies with Nease’s Stellar Academy of Engineering took their engineering skills and knowledge to Pacetti Bay Middle School, to run a STEM event with 8th grade girls. Led by Academy Instructor Morgan Hunter, the ladies participated in a gingerbread tower building contest. Prior to beginning the competition, Ms. Hunter, who had the idea for this event based on the St. Johns County School District STEM Spark event in October, discussed what engineers do in the real world, how they problem solve, and how the design process works. Then, the 8th grade girls worked in small groups, along with a high school Engineering Academy mentor, to design and construct the tallest tower they could, using only frosting and graham crackers. Through a great deal of trial and error, each group was able to construct a tower. The tallest measured at 23 inches. This was a wonderful way to introduce the 8th grade girls to engineering concepts and skills, as well as have the opportunity to work with older students already in the Academy program. Many thanks to Academy teacher Morgan Hunter for coming up with the concept and leading the event! It was certainly a success!
