UAPB Associate Professor Helps ICE Future Engineers Soar

Aspiring future engineers attended an Ivy Center for Education (ICE) in-person and virtual workshop led by University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Associate Professor Sederick Rice, Ph.D. Dr. Rice made an overview of aeronautical engineering more engaging and entertaining for local 7th through 12th-grade scholars and their parents. The workshop was held on Tuesday, January 9, at The Generator at 435 South Main Street in Pine Bluff.

Dr. Rice facilitates ICE Future Engineer Scholars seated left to right: Aiden Pope, Sasha Miller, Chandler Parker, Adam Price, Kylee Monk, and Javoni Jackson.

Hands-on airplane-building activities ignited the interest of the students and parents in attendance. Students and parents participated in person and over Zoom using tape and a few sheets of paper. The challenge was to build, team up, and test paper airplanes. He started with instructions on building the basic paper airplane version, The Dart. He progressed to building The Stealth, a more complicated but interesting-looking version built for distance. He offered reserved instructions for higher achievers to build The Bumble and The Hunter models of paper airplanes.

The activities encouraged reading and following specific written instructions on paper, followed by video-guided instructions to address different learning styles. Rice facilitated questions and discussions while encouraging students to work as a team and ask for help. The activity showed them the importance of testing, rework, and quality control. After holding test flights, the students watched a time-lapsed video of professional engineers assembling a commercial passenger jet aircraft over several days.

The Dart Paper Airplane

Marcus Davis, Digital Navigator at The Generator 

Mattie P. Collins, President
Ivy Center for Education (ICE), Inc.

Worshop held for in person and Zoom students and parents at The Generator

_{Photos by Mary Hester-Clifton}

The ICE Future Engineers meet every 2nd Tuesday of the month. For more information or any inquiries about the Ivy Center for Education (ICE) College Readiness/Mentoring Program workshops, please feel free to send an email to Mattie P. Collins, President, at mattie1908@gmail.com. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to expand young scholars’ knowledge, engage them in hands-on activities, and connect with like-minded individuals with a passion for engineering. The next ICE Future Engineers meeting is Tuesday, February 13, 2024, from 6-7 PM at the Generator located at 435 South Main Street. As you continue your passion for engineering, learn more about Engineering at UAPB.