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First Semester Physics Final Culminates in Impressive Projects

1/26/2017

Marymount’s Dining Hall was buzzing, quite literally, with the magic of science this past Monday, January 23rd. Students from our Physics classes came together to present their wide array of creative projects alongside their acquired depth of knowledge around foundational physics concepts and principles. Engaging in extensive research and bringing theoretical concepts to life through their final projects, our girls followed the Engineering Design Cycle that is central to Marymount’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Arts) Curriculum. This process enabled every student to gain hands-on experience in our Makerspace, using large-format printers, 3D printers, and building materials to create a one-of-a-kind experiment.

After months of hard work tinkering, experimenting and recording data with the support of Physics teachers Edward Eadon, David Berkowitz, and Chad Vicenik, our physics students wowed the entire school community with innovative presentations of their creative ingenuity. From using sand as a visual representation of sound waves, to creating a sensor system to track the movements of a dog, to building a disco ball from CD’s to demonstrate the refraction of light, the presentations demonstrated an impressive range and depth of newfound knowledge.

Ed Eadon, Physics Teacher, took some time after the projects to reflect on the students learning after the last student packed up their project. He said that the girls “learned a great deal of persistence through their inventions and experiments. Nothing worked out the first time, which taught the important lesson of relying on design thinking to solve problems.” In one project focused on creating and measuring magnetic forces, two students were dismayed when a magnet broke half way through the experiment. However, this happy mistake led to a new research inquiry into the re-polarization that occurs when magnets break in two, a topic that both students found fascinating. “In a way,” Senior Olivia T. said, “the most interesting part of our project was when something broke, and in figuring out how to move forward, we learned something completely new.”

As a part of our STEAM partnership with UCLA, two physics graduate students, Allison D. and Tanvi R. attended the showcase to help provide constructive feedback to our students. They both said that they were incredibly impressed by the level and breadth of the work displayed. Mr. Eadon even noted – only half-jokingly – that some of the inventions, such as the physics-based running shoe assessment tool, could have commercial applications.

Our students’ hard work certainly paid off at this impressive showcase, and these projects have inspired many of them to continue building and exploring the world of engineering and physics. In the meantime, we are so excited to see what future experiments and research projects they wow us with next.

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