Research in Engineering Design Club

In the wake of my work with Dr. Belkoff (building a functional Ford Model T transmission), I founded a club at my high school called “Research in Engineering Design Club.” Dr. Belkoff taught me that failure is less about personal shortcomings and more about finding the best way forward; I wanted to instill this culture into the builders at River Hill. Seeing the nervous faces on day one confirmed to me that I needed to create a safe community in which my younger peers felt safe enough to be wrong and keep on trying.

In the club, I deconstructed complex tasks into smaller steps to not overwhelm a beginner student. Moreover, I worked one-on-one to bolster confidence, and created a system where seasoned members were paired with new recruits, building a culture of support. Over time, experienced members built impressive projects, but also mentored and supported newcomers. By spring, participation grew to 44 students. Students that started out nervous were now building independently, doing their own research between sessions, and bringing friends.

The club is continuing to grow, with participation at 55 people. We have been preparing for a few competitions and have even submitted to the NASA TechRise challenge. This year we also split the club into a beginner group and an advanced competition group. The beginner group is led by an experienced club officer and goes over hands-on projects. The competition group is run by me, and we build projects for formal competitions.

The following pictures include projects members have made and developed, club meetings, and more!