TECHNOLOGY@TCA

Class of 2021 serves Class of 2034

BY LISA WONG, DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

EARNING TO BE FLEXIBLE AND CREATIVE has been L the name of the game this year. Many of us have learned firsthand that we are not in control, but God, in His infinite love for us, shows us glimpses of His grace every day. Each year, the Honors Engineering Design class works on a capstone project which is usually designing and building products for children with disabilities from the DFW area. Because of limitations due to COVID restrictions, I was challenged to find a creative way for students to complete projects this year. Students spent the first two trimesters learning about the engineering design cycle, manufacturing, functional testing, failure analysis, collaboration on technical teams and much more. The final design project allows the students to experience what it is like to work on a real industry project. This year’s project allowed students to learn some of the challenges engineers face in industry, including supply chain delays, out-of-stock items, defective items, miscalculations, working with others who may think differently than they do, working under a tight budget, meeting deadlines, understanding customer needs, using power tools and redesigning and rebuilding multiple times. It truly is special that these seniors were able to experience these real-life industry challenges at such a young age.

I am thankful that the Lord provided us to have “customers” right on campus! We had a great partnership with Kimberley Hechtner and the preK team. Mrs. Hechtner was so excited because when she taught in Tulsa, Oklahoma, prior to teaching at Trinity Christian Academy, engineering students from the University of Tulsa designed and built a mobile kitchen station for her preK class there. Kimberley loved the partnership they had in Tulsa and was excited to work with TCA engineering students on a similar project. PreK teachers do quite a bit of cooking to go along with lessons and books they read. They make apple sauce, green eggs and ham, cookies, playdough and much more. Lessons incorporate measuring, mixing, cutting, cooking and baking.

March 8 was project launch day. Students were excited to learn that the task was to design and build a mobile kitchen station to rotate to all the TCA preK classrooms. Students were assigned to one of four teams, and all held specific roles: project engineer, financial manager, quality control engineer or chief technical engineer.

ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ PROJECT GOALS

MAIN FRAME Design and build the main frame for a mobile kitchen station. The main frame needs to be mounted on casters that are easy to roll with brakes. The design must include storage areas and space to mount electrical requirements. Must collaborate with the Adaptable Work Surface team to pick the same countertop material and meet location requirements for their adjustable height assembly. Must collaborate with the Safety and Integration Systems team to incorporate critical features. Must collaborate with the Induction Cooktop with Safety Barrier team to allot enough space for their assembly. Frame must have a professional level paint finish. Consider safety, stability, size (height of counters and dimensions of storage area in the preK area), weight and ease of use.

ADAPTABLE WORK SURFACES Design and build the adaptable work surfaces for a mobile kitchen station. Design two fold-out countertop tables that mount to the each side of the main frame. One surface can be at a static height, and the other surface needs to have an adjustable height. Must collaborate with the Main Frame team to use the same countertop material and to ensure the tables properly integrate into the main frame. The legs need to be able to safely tuck under the table, and both tables need to be designed to fold up while the station is in storage in the preK area. Table edges must be rounded for student safety. Use primary colors for the legs. Consider safety, stability, size, weight and ease of use.

INDUCTION COOKTOP WITH SAFETY BARRIER Design and build the induction cooktop assembly for a mobile kitchen station. An induction cooktop is safe because it only heats up when the pot/pan is made of specific materials. Select the safest induction cooktop that is the correct size based on cookware needs. Task is to design a safety barrier that will surround the cooktop area. This barrier will prevent students’ hands from being burned. The barrier must be mounted to the main frame countertop. Barrier must be able to withstand hot temperatures and have space for the cooking utensils. Purchase two induction pots: a frying pan and a stock pot. Work with the customer to determine optimal pot sizes. Pot diameters will determine cooktop size. Must collaborate with the Safety and Integration Systems team to incorporate cord management for power. Consider safety, stability, size and ease of use.

SAFETY AND INTEGRATION SYSTEMS The main goal is to integrate key aspects of the station. Route all electrical cords and find the best location to mount a chosen surge protector, mount the provided fire extinguisher for quick access, install easy-to-use child safety locks on all cabinets and drawers and attach slipproof material to all appliances to prevent slippage. Must collaborate with the Main Frame team to incorporate critical features. Must collaborate with the Induction Cooktop team to incorporate power cords. In addition, purchase the following appliances: mixer, toaster oven, apple peeler/cutter, safety locks, mount for fire extinguisher, measuring cups, cooking utensils and surge protector with extra long cord. Consider safety, stability, size, weight and ease of use.

On Thursday, April 29, students presented the final product to their customers and parents. They summarized their design process and decision matrices, presented financial statements and described issues they ran into. They also presented user instructions with safety precautions to the preK teachers.

Kimberley Hechtner expressed the preK teachers’ and students’ delight at the end product of the the mobile kitchen station and the whole process: “As we have been trying to look at this year and think about ways that God has blessed us, even during COVID-19, for preK this is a big one. I am so grateful, and we are so blessed to be able to work with the Upper School engineering students and truly get to see them love and bless preK. They got to come see us on the playground, see our classrooms and ask lots of questions. I have been so overwhelmed by these kids. They are so professional and impressive.”

My goal in teaching the Honors Engineering Design course is to is to teach students that they can use STEM fields to bless others in the world. I am so thankful that the Lord provided a way for this to happen, even during this COVID year.