Engineering the Future

Students work on their roller coaster designs. Left to right, Kieran Okerstrom, Hannah Hougen, Blake Taylor, and Leigh Balderrama.

As a part of National Engineering Week, Decorah High School students had the opportunity to experience project design from start to finish by building and testing miniature roller coasters.

Phillip Einspahr, project manager at IBM in Rochester, Minnesota, spoke to the students about the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics but also stressed the advantages of a visual art background in applying creative problem-solving and design elements and principles to engineering projects. Einspahr, who graduated from Luther College with a double major in physics and computer science, says his work requires collaboration between team members so the ability to work together cooperatively is another key component of successful product design.

Students were divided into teams and presented with the task of building a miniature roller coaster using PVC pipe, foam insulation, and a few other materials. Einspahr encouraged each team to think about the fun and excitement component of a roller coaster and challenged them to create loops, twists, and turns to the track with soda straw struts and other supports to stabilize those configurations. Gravity and centripetal force acted on the finished track, and students designed and redesigned their courses as needed to work with those forces in creating a successful run for the steel ball bearings that were the "cars" on the track.

Einspahr's visit was sponsored by the Decorah High School Art and Science Clubs. Larry Berland is the adviser for Science Club and Elizabeth Lorentzen for Art Club.

Laurel Fadness, left, and Shai Shay pick up components for their roller coaster.