Towering
Connections
Towering
Connections
$10,000 Physical Science Toyota TAPESTRY Grant awarded to:
Kevin Erlinger, Jan Hari, Laura Hlinka, Pam Van Walleghen
for the 2003-04 school year.
Eighth grade science students at Urbana Middle School will gather information and images of local transmision towers using GPS, digital video and still images. Using laptop computers, students will then create a database including: GPS data, details of tower construction, setting, foundation, distincitive features, proportions for determining dimensions and angles. After hearing engineers and architects speak about basic design principals including forces on structures, the students will import images into Geometer's Sketchpad for analysis and then design and build their own towers. Tower testing will be recorded with digital video then imported into iMovie for frame by frame analysis. Using the video evidence, a written research log, and still photos, students will produce a research video for presentation to their peers.