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Jed Boal reportingAs young students, most of us probably made something fly, built something or blew something up as part of engineering day. Yet, not enough of us go on to careers as engineers. The University of Utah hopes to change that.
Ben Parker and Jack Harmon don't need to chart out their careers today, but the fifth graders can build a catapult that accurately launches marshmallows. They hit the target four out of five times, after a lot of testing. They solved their problems like engineers.
Jack said, "It's way more fun when it's intense, and you don't know if the other catapults are better than yours."
The boys are among 2,000 students getting a hands-on experience at the University of Utah College of Engineering Elementary Engineering Week. Program leaders want the students to visualize engineering opportunities and have fun.
Students make a fish out of clay, a fish that will move swiftly, or slowly, through the water. Anna Sossenheimer designed and built a "Kitty-pult" that was both innovative and creative. She said, "I just had a lot of fun with it. I just went totally beyond the limits. I was creative with it."
Sam Francis, a University of Utah engineering student, said, "You have all these tools in the design process to innovate, come up with better inventions for a better future. That's fun to me. I think it's fun to all the engineers."
Some day, students here may come up with something big that no one ever thought of before.
