18 LAKESIDE
April 2022
Afternoon sail brings science, technology into focus for students Shore Lines
facturing companies to improve our prototype of our X-Wing kite sail that can be retrofitted onto From the fascinating to the remarkable, Lake Lanier harbors many personalities and places along its shores. Lakeside pres- cargo ships.” The book, Song for a Whale, ents “Shore Lines” – stories about people who live, work and provided inspiration to make play around the lake and the places that make the area special. ocean going cargo vessels quieter By Pamela A. Keene An afternoon on the water and more environmentally he sailing adventure for The Cargo Connect challenge, friendly. They brainstormed ideas a group of 9- and 10created by FIRST LEGO League and decided to take their work year-olds on a sunny as the 2021-2022 project, reback to basic physics principles Sunday afternoon wasn’t just a quired teams to focus on robotics, used by early explorers who joy ride. These students were on a technology and physical princicrossed vast oceans using nothing mission to understand what ples to move cargo globally. For but wind power. makes a sailboat go. the 10 4th and 5th -graders from “As we worked through the The youngsters, members of Sharon Elementary, sailing held program, we found out that 90 the Georgia Championship Rothe key to understanding how percent of the world’s cargo today botic Team from Sharon Elemen- their project would work. is transported on the ocean,” tary School in Suwanee, earned Each group of competitors Wing said. “That concerned us the Georgia State FIRST LEGO around the world received access because of the risk of environLeague First Place Champions to the same resources, materials, mental pollution but also because Award at Georgia Tech earlier rulebooks and instructions. The of the harm it is doing to marine this year, beating out more than outcome of how each team used life and the sea’s ecology, particu385 teams. As such, The Sharon these resources would determine larly whales and their breeding. Robo Knights SRK X-Wings Ro- the champions. Song for a Whale really touched botics Team is headed to the Inour students’ hearts. It’s the story ternational FIRST LEGO League of a young deaf girl and a whale, Razorback Open Invitational at a tale of survival and hope. It rethe University of Arkansas. ally brought the issues home to “The international competition our students.” this year focused on solving a Wing’s students proposed a soreal-world challenge using robotlution that would address the enics and technology, helping elevironmental harm of fuel-driven mentary and middle school ships, the high costs of fuel as students embrace their STEM well as the noise that affected the skills,” said Wendy Wing, gifted whales,” she said. “We settled on education teacher and coach for using wind power to help reduce the 10-person team of 4th- and fuel use and minimize ecological 5th-graders. “We’ve been workimpact.” ing on our project of the X-Wing Tow girls enjoying a sail. They studied kite sails used for kite sail all year and were thrilled boats in various configurations, when our team won the state “While our students were talking about how sails work. Do championship.” doing their research about how they push a boat along or pull it? STEM stands for Science, cargo is moved, then designing, How are the boats sailed? What Technology, Engineering and building and programming their determines the direction of the Math, and it’s the hottest curricrobotics, other teams were at boat? Can they sail directly from ula in education today, often start- work as well,” Wing said. one point to the next, or do they ing in preschool. Statistics show “We turned to numerous rehave to steer differently because that STEM education has been sources in addition to those proof the direction of the wind? giving high-school and college vided, including reading about “We talked about the Bernoulli graduates more than a leg up in ships, economics, ocean ecology Principle, which helps calculate landing challenging and highand marine life. We have worked the lift on an airfoil, such as the paying jobs. When the process is with many experts from the Inter- wing of an airplane,” she said. “It interactive and hands-on, the suc- national Maritime Organization, also explains how sails make a cess rate is even greater. engineers, and CEO’s of manuboat move, and in the case of a kite sail, we proposed using large sails to provide the momentum for the cargo ships.” One problem: None of the students had been on sailboats. UYC to the rescue Enter the University Yacht Club Maritime Foundation. UYC member Edith Collins, who is also a US Sailing Judge and lifelong sailor, learned about the project through a former neighbor who teaches at Sharon Elementary. Collins connected the group to the UYC Maritime Foundation. “We have a sailing fleet at CREDIT: SHARQ PHOTOGRAPHY Students compete in the FIRST LEGO League robotics challenge state UYC and our members often take
T
championship.
Kent Rogers takes a crew out sailing.
out students from our Junior Sailing Camp, so I asked Wayne Flanagan, the Maritime Foundation Chair, for assistance,” Collins said. “He was glad to help and within a couple of days, we had boats and skippers volunteering and had picked a date.” For Wing and her students, it was a chance to see on-paper concepts in practice. The Maritime Foundation provided life jackets; the students had a quick landschool briefing to talk about sailing principles and then headed to the sailboats.
PHOTOS BY PAMELA A KEENE
ternoon sail for hot dogs and refreshments, sponsored by the UYC Maritime Foundation. “One of the main missions of the UYC Maritime Foundation is marine education,” Flanagan said. “In addition to sponsoring our Junior Sailing Program each summer, we offer high school scholarships and support other community endeavors. We are happy when we can work in the community to support students.” More about STEM Graduates with computer programming and coding skills are in demand. According to iSTEMnetwork.org, STEM jobs are increasing at a higher rate than non-STEM jobs. Teaching critical thinking and problem solving, STEM education leads to higherpaying careers, leadership skills and teamwork to meet their goals. Groups supporting girls and young women in STEM proliferate, as do other culturally and ethnically diverse populations. Across the US and globally, FIRST LEGO League has created a series of programs to accelerate Rick Smith explains the wheel. STEM learning. Young students Four skippers, Dale Owens, begin to understand the language Kent Rogers, Rick Smith and of mathematics, science and techRick Fulgham, took 2 or 3 stunology in Pre-K classes. dents, plus each boat had an ad“Teaching STEM subjects carviser and/or a parent aboard. The ries with it real-world applicaskippers gave the students a tions, many that are accessed by chance to steer the boats while understanding gaming concepts,” explaining how to spot the wind Wing said. “It makes education on the water and how to navigate relevant and at the same time has from one point to another using obvious returns. When students sail direction. succeed in building and program“It was a chance for the kids to ming a robot, it can be instantly get involved, from steering to ac- rewarding, and spurs them to ask, tually helping read the tell-tales ‘what’s next?’ It keeps them enand experience why boats can’t gaged and motivated.” sail directly into the wind,” Perhaps Collins said it best: Collins said. “A couple of them “The sport of sailing has many just blew us away with their natu- benefits from just having an enral understanding about how joyable day on the water to being boats go.” able to understand what makes a The participants and parents boat go,” she said. “Some people See Sail, page 23 gathered at the club after the af-
