Mr. Nachman guides Jackson Herschman on an aspect of the circuit board assembly. Sam Kramer and Zakee Ali (L-R) solder components to their circuit board.
Sept. 29, 2016 -- Heights High students in the Digital Electronics engineering course are learning about digital logic by creating a random number generator – think of it as an electronic way to roll dice.
To begin the activity, each student received a kit that includes a circuit board, sockets, chips, capacitors, resisters, LED lights and a switch. Then students assembled the unit, soldering the components to the board.
After three days of assembly work, everyone in the class had a working random number generator. The Digital Electronics course (DE) is one of two engineering courses offered this year as part of the District’s partnership with Project Lead the Way, a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to using hands on projects to increase the number of students who graduate with a background in science and technology.
“The DE course covers the foundation of the electronic devices that students use – cell phones, laptops and hi-def TV,” said engineering teacher Greg Nachman. “Students enjoy learning about how their devices work and doing the actual work to solder a circuit board.”
In addition to the Digital Electronics course, the school also offers an entry level Introduction to Engineering and Design course that is focused on the design process and includes projects that use 3D modeling software.
In the 2017-18 school year, Heights High will add the Principles of Engineering survey course to the program.
Students in the Introduction to Engineering and Design course designed and used a 3-D printer to create the Star Wars character R2D2.
This course will expose students to concepts they’ll encounter in a college engineering program. Topics include mechanisms, energy, statics, materials and kinematics.
In the 2018-19 school year, the Capstone Project course for seniors will be added to the program. This course will have students identify a problem and design a product to solve the challenge.
The Heights High Engineering program is in the second year after a restructuring that created the Project Lead the Way engineering courses.
Mr. Nachman is also the coach of the Robotics Club that designs and creates a Battle Bot to compete in spring competitions.
The engineering courses are part of the school’s Career and Technical Education Program.