Captain Kirks of the Future?

By Lance Thies

Can you believe it? A private shuttle took Captain Kirk to space for real!

So what is next for aerospace and who’s going to lead the way? Two students from Lockport Township High School (LTHS) in Lockport, Illinois believe that they are going to be part of the adventure. One, Ahmad Kawash, has been challenging himself academically throughout his high school career with difficult classes and the willingness to explore his own boundaries to find a passion. The other, Jack Thies, has thought about what he could do to be a part of the aerospace industry since his dad first painted clouds and stars on his bedroom ceiling. Enter two teachers from the high school, Jeff Brown and Corey Duzan, and their engineering classes to provide the clarity that Ahmad needed to find his passion and the drive Jack needed to refine his skill.

What both students love about their coursework in their engineering classes is the challenge that Mr. Brown and Mr. Duzan lay out in each assignment. Digital modeling, making the famous balsa wood models, collaborating in teams and exploring the range of questions and answers to problems have invigorated both Ahmad and Jack. The connection between Ahmad’s physics and calculus and his engineering problems has opened his eyes to the fact that, even though the classes are tough and they push his abilities to the limit, he loves it because he sees how his knowledge in one class ties directly into the model he creates in engineering. Jack thrives in team projects and the wide range of solutions that each student brings to a problem which has led him to engage in the high school’s robotics team, exposing him to high pressure competitions and the ultimate tests of teamwork. That teamwork gives him an opportunity to see different viewpoints, learn about collaboration and be a good team-focused leader. Engineering, to both young men, has become a transport to make a career from what they love doing.

Ahmad wants to work on the technology involved in moving people through space and wants to be part of the next generation of aerospace engineers who find a way to get an astronaut onto a new planet. Lofty goals from a high school senior, but if the drive Ahmad has shown so far keeps his path clear, we could see that footprint on Mars in real life and not just in the movies! Jack sees his path in project management, finding the best, most efficient and cost effective way to make travel to space a regular occurrence, almost like taking a trip to the beach in Florida. That might involve asking Jeff Bezos or Richard Branson if he can take Blue Horizon and the Unity rockets beyond where even they think it can go!

How do they get there? Jack is just starting to think about those next steps. He is starting to look into where he can continue to pursue his passion. Lewis University, close to home, has a collaborative dual degree program in Physics and Aerospace Engineering with the Illinois Institute of Technology. That would allow him to have a home-cooked meal regularly. But the prestige of a place like MIT is exciting to ponder and worth the reach. Ahmad, being a senior, is in the most exciting yet nerve-wracking phase of high school. Where is he going to continue to challenge himself in college? Being a Midwestern young man, and wanting to find the best opportunities where family and friends can be a part of his exploration, Purdue University, the University of Illinois and Iowa State University have all risen to the top of the list for places he has applied to. Not knowing where that next step will be can be stomach churning, but he is laser focused on being part of the aerospace community. All are great schools that will allow them both to soar!

Is one of them the next Captain Kirk guiding a real ship through space? We will see. What we do know, though, is that high school engineering education is a critical component to allowing students like Ahmad and Jack to find their passion and explore that passion with a laptop, models, teammates and teachers who care about their future success. When asked why they started the engineering program at LTHS, Mr. Duzan, a PLTW Master Teacher, said “Our answer is simple and it ties directly with the curriculum that we teach every day in our STEM and Technology and Engineering classes. Engineering can be defined as the application of Science, Technology, and Math principles to better the life of everyone around us. From the obvious applications like transportation to the things that we take for granted like turning on a light switch, those are all solutions created with a conscientious effort to better the lives of others. We challenge our students to take the skills and experiences from these classes and curricula and improve the world by applying Engineering.” And that is reason enough to give special students like Ahmad and Jack the opportunity to explore the next frontier!