About Techtronics

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Techtronics is an after-school academic enrichment program partnering the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University and Rogers-Herr Middle School in Durham, NC. Graduate and undergraduate engineering teaching fellows introduce students in grades 6-8 to four branches of engineering (electrical and computer, civil and environmental, mechanical, and biomedical) through hands-on projects. Students build EKG heart monitors, solar ovens, robots and balsa wood bridges. In a team-thinking environment, students learn to use computer tools and equations to build systems. Measurement, estimation and prediction are central themes in the design process students learn.

How it Works

The Techtronics program is divided evenly into two sections, known simply as Techtronics I and Techtronics II. Techtronics I teaches students in the 6th grade about basic science and engineering concepts, and introduces them to several engineering applications that demonstrate those concepts. Techtronics II picks up from that introduction, asking students to extend their developing skills through critical thinking to accomplish more difficult tasks. Techtronics utilizes two graduate and 10 undergraduate engineering students from the Pratt School of Engineering as Crew Leaders. Two classes of 20 students each are segmented into “Crews” of four students and a Crew Leader. Each class is directed by a Graduate Student Coordinator.

What Students Gain

Techtronics students learn to use Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools such as Modelsmart3D to optimize their designs and to make predictions such as the load-bearing capabilities of their balsa wood bridges. Amazingly, the bridge on the left being tested by Crew Leader Kathy Barcus and her Crew was predicted to fail under a load of 16.1 lbs. As the load was increased to 16.0 lbs., faces suddenly changed as the sound of the structure breaking was heard.

Twice per year the Techtronics students and their families visit the Pratt School of engineering where they test and showcase their projects, visit engineering labs, eat pizza, check out the dorms, the Chapel and, of course, Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Techtronics students learn to use equations to express the relationship between physical quantities they measure such as their heart rate and its period as measured by the heart monitor system they design and build.