Since 2018, we have organized in Onicescu National College from Bucharest an exhibition of multidisciplinary projects. The purpose of this project ”STEM DISCOVERY WEEKS IN ONICESCU-2022” is to promote an educational environment capable of providing students quality education. The activities took place between 1 and 14 of April, 2022.
Organizer: prof. Paun Madalina
High school students
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
1. Encouraging high school students to get involved in scientific projects and try to discover their future career. 2. Encouraging high school students to work in a team and to share their experience with schoolmates.
“STEM DISCOVERY WEEKS IN ONICESCU”, April 1-14, 2022:
1. “STEM for all” (Thursday, April 7, 2022) – fair of scientific projects, 2. “Our future careers” (Tuesday, April 12, 2022 and Saturday, April 9, 2022) – meetings with students of different faculties and a visit to the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, 3. “7 Locks” (Saturday, April 9, 2022) – a game “Escape Room”. All activities have tried to encourage creativity, teamwork, respect for people and a greater closeness to science and technology.
1. SCIENCE PROJECT FAIR ”STEM FOR ALL” IN ONICESCU
Three ninth grade students performed experiments that described the levers of the human body. They started from the idea that man created many devices using his body. Probably looking at his arms, he noticed how he could throw various objects. Looking at his foot, he noticed how he could keep his balance. And so the levers appeared. Two tenth graders presented experiments with magnetic fields and demonstrate the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction. Many visitors were interested in their experiments. A brave eleventh grader introduced notions of general relativity (the curvature of the space) using a simple curved surface and a ball. Because they wanted to solve physics problems more easily, a few ninth graders made a software that calculates the fall time and speed in case of free fall of bodies from various heights.
Many passionate school students in electronics and robotics presented various types of machines. Some ninth grade students have made a robot that can get around obstacles. Others ninth grade students have made a car on a 3D printer. Their project includes a car with remote control and a drone that followes the car to create a 3D model close to the satellite view system that most modern cars have. Two 12th grade students built tanks with most of the parts printed on a 3D printer.
The most creative were the 9th grade students who designed a robotic hand prosthesis. The robotic hand can help people with medical problems to regain the dexterity of their amputated limbs. In their presentation they used notions of anatomy, physics and chemistry.
2. ”OUR FUTURE CARREERS” – MEETINGS WITH STUDENTS
In the following days we were visited by students from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and others students from the University of Constructions of Bucharest. Our former high school students told us about university life: admition, exams, credits, laboratories and extracurricular activities, but also presented their new projects: burglar alarm systems, voltage stabilizers and various parts designed for cars.
3. “7 LOCKS” – ESCAPE ROOM
The 9th grade students participated in an “Escape Room” game where their abilities to concentrate and successfully solved puzzles were tested.
4. VISIT TO THE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
The 12th grade students visited the Faculty of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering within the Polytechnic University of Bucharest. They found out about the admission conditions, professors and the courses.
Conclusions: Teachers, parents and students appreciated the projects presented in science project fair. The students presentations from the faculties that participated in the project were very interesting and captivating. The joy of interacting and communicating was on everyone’s faces. Now we have already started to prepare for the 2023 STEM campaign.
Our project link: https://onicescu.ro/