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Menlo School holds 'engineering fair'

By Jill Kasser of Menlo School.

Students, parents and faculty filled the student center at Menlo School on Jan. 13 for the school's annual Engineering Product Fair.

In Engineering I at Menlo School, students create engineering "corporations" to create several products.

For a house project, students design a home for a specific area that is prone to some type of natural disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado. The home must include a wedge, pulley, wheel, stairs and distinct floors.

Students then build a model of the home, and the "corporation" plans marketing tools to raise funding. At the fair, students present their products and ask visitors to "invest" in their company.

One group of Menlo School juniors created an engineering "corporation" called Intuition Design, and they presented two products.

One is a home built for people living in regions of the country where flooding from heavy rainfall can cause natural disasters as severe as Hurricane Katrina. The house has several features including a water wheel for creating energy to sustain the residents during periods of electrical power loss.

They also designed a train using two motors in tandem and a 4-wheel drive chassis that includes a planet of gears, wheels and axles, one double-pole double-throw switch in series with 6 volts, and lights (light emitting diodes) to indicate forward and reverse motion.