Future engineers inspired by visit from Lockheed Martin

Budding engineers in the Summer Academy at Colonial Middle School gained hands-on experience building and racing balloon-powered cars, guided by professionals from Lockheed Martin.

“My favorite thing was blowing up the balloons and that we all had fun,” said fifth grader Zaheem Whitaker. 

The activity taught the students about perseverance and the engineering process. The students used pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, Lifesavers, and tape to create their vehicles. After each test, they analyzed what worked and what didn’t work and tweaked their designs. 

“We worked hard and didn’t give up, even though ours wasn’t successful,” said seventh grader Luna Zepeda. 

For the races, most of the cars only traveled a couple of inches and some spun in circles, but Tahkiera Harding’s entry impressed the crowd by zipping across the cafeteria floor and clearly taking first place.

“I like racing, and I like winning,” said Tahkiera.

The visiting engineers enjoyed the opportunity to give the students a chance to experience what engineering is and open their eyes to possible STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Math] careers.

“It was a pleasure to share and nurture these young minds,” said Lockheed Martin Engineer Jin Lee. “Hopefully, they’ll be future engineers one day.”

Approximately 250 students in grades 1-8 are spending four weeks working on their math and reading skills in the Colonial School District’s Summer Academy.