Catapult Project - A Day In The Life - IVVC Article

Shayne C., from Plano, took time out today to tell about his “catapult project” that was going to be tested later in the period. All of the students were given a list of materials and expected to come up with a catapult that would toss a ball for a measured distance competition. Shayne was sure his would go past the 20 foot mark and his would be one of the best. He really enjoys all the project work that combines creativity and applied knowledge in this class and plans on continuing his engineering education at the Institute of Technology in Morrison, Illinois this fall. Shayne enjoys this class because it enables him to turn his creative thoughts in to a real project. You will find Shayne hard at work this spring break at his job in the Outlet Mall where he “catapults” the money into the cash register.

IVVC Drafting & Design Mythbuster Monday- Helping Hand

by Allison K. - Somonauk

Most people would say you can’t make a hand out of cardboard, but the students in IVVC’s Drafting and Design class like to disagree. Each Monday, students participate in a new and different Mythbuster Monday Challenge.

Our challenge this week: Create a helping hand that can transport 3 tennis balls, the container - and the lid for extra credit - across a distance of approximately 7 feet. Students were given cereal box cardboard, tape, and brass fasteners to create their own version of a helping hand. For each challenge the only restriction is the student’s imagination. Just like with every challenge, each student’s design was unique and had its own advantages and downfalls. Some had pivot points, others chose to make a version of a clamp and use friction, and then there are those few that you don’t know what to call their design other than different. Each student tests their prototype and then makes changes based on the results of their experiments.

The places were as follows: 1st Jake J. – Sandwich, 2nd - Ross C. – Sandwich, and in 3rd place was Shayne C. - Plano.

Mythbuster Monday Individual Challenge Winner Is ...

Shayne C. from Plano. Great job Shayne. This concludes our Mythbuster Monday Individual Challenge which took place every Monday in the 1st semester. 13 challenging projects, ranging from bridge building to paper towers, made students think of the most efficient way of solving a problem with a limited amount of materials to beat their classmates.

It was close race for 1st place which was decided in our last task. Great job by the whole class. I hope you enjoyed the projects.

1st Place - Shayne C.(Plano) 159.5

2nd Place - Steff T.(Sandwich) 155.5

3rd Place - Robert M.(Sandwich) 148.5

IVVC Drafting & Design Mythbuster Monday - High Rise

IVVC's 2010-2011 Drafting & Design class attempted another Mythbuster Monday challenge by designing, building, and testing a structure that supports a tennis ball while a fan is blowing at it. Materials given were 16 sheets of newspaper, a 12" square cardboard base, 4' of tape and fishing line. The goal was to make the tallest structure to hold the tennis ball while withstanding the wind.

IVVC Drafting & Design Mythbuster Monday - On Target

IVVC's 2010-2011 Drafting & Design class attempted another Mythbuster Monday challenge by designing, building, and testing a carrier that will go down a zipline and drop a marble on a target. The goal was to drop the marble as close to the bullseye as possible. The carriers were made from a paper cup, tape, a paper clip, and index cards.

IVVC Drafting & Design Mythbuster Monday - Touchdown

IVVC's 2010-2011 Drafting & Design class attempted another Mythbuster Monday challenge by designing, building, and testing a carrier that will be dropped from 16' above the ground. The goal was to keep cotton balls and ping pong balls from falling out upon impacting the ground. The carriers were made from paper bowls, tape, straws, and index cards.

IVVC Drafting & Design Mythbuster Monday - Zipline

IVVC's 2010-2011 Drafting & Design class attempted the third Mythbuster Monday challenge of the year by designing, building, and testing a zip line carrier made from paper cups, masking tape, straws, and cardboard. After completing the design and build, students tested the carrier by sliding it down a 6 foot zip line. The goal was to have the carrier go as slow as possible while still moving at all times.