Aspiring engineers take flight at the University of Windsor
Windsor-Essex high students had the chance to turn household items into model airplanes at an event held by the University of Windsor’s Engineering Students’ Society.
The aspiring engineers used a little bit of creativity to turn a wooden fuselage — an aircraft's main body section — and everyday household items like Popsicle sticks, elastic bands and aluminum foil into miniature aircraft.
“The whole point of the event is to get students thinking outside of the box and show them what they could potentially be doing with a career in engineering,” said R.J. Sivanesan, a second-year engineering student and volunteer at the event.
He said improvisation and innovation were crucial to making a successful design. Some of the more creative ideas even used the instruction sheet for their design. Other removed the elastics inside their safety gloves for their planes.
For students, inspiration came from many different sources, with variations on traditional airplane designs, hand gliders and bird wings all on display.
Candace Brooks-Da Silva, a Grade 10 student at Academie Ste. Cecile, said her group's design took in factors like weight and drag. They added wing flaps and made modifications to the wing’s shape to make sure the plane not only got off the ground, but stayed in the air.
“Since I was a little girl, I’ve been fascinated with the idea of flying, so when I was 12 I joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets which introduced me to aviation," said Brooks-Da Silva. "I also loved putting things together, so those two passions influence what I aspire to be."
Brooks-Da Silva’s goal is to become either an aerospace engineer or a doctor.
Despite engineering having a reputation of being a men’s only field, there was a significant number of girls participating in the challenge, said Evan Gibb, a fourth-year engineering student at University of Windsor.
Gibb organized the event and is also the vice-president (academic) of the University of Windsor’s Engineering Students’ Society.
“Inclusivity and getting everyone involved in the field is an awesome thing," said Gibb. "I’m glad to see there are a lot of girls out and I hope to see even more in the future,” he said. “From a young age, getting people engaged in engineering, science, math and technology is important to make sure we have the bright minds of tomorrow headed into those fields.”
