Branchburg Central Middle School

As the Engineering & Design teacher at BCMS, I oversee four curriculums spanning a range of topics:

• 6th graders learn fundamental engineering principles through the completion of hands-on projects.

• 7th graders work through several transportation based projects, learning about aerodynamics as they design balsa wood gliders. They also get to experience realistic constraints by budgeting and making intentional choices in designing a crash car for an egg.

• 8th graders in Automation and Robotics get to be a part of an assembly line where they mass produce paper airplanes and measure for consistency. They learn about transfer of motion and mechanisms by building a functioning cam and follower automata. After building the automata, they then motorize it using Micro:bits.

• 7th and 8th grade students get to fabricate designs using 3D printers and vinyl cutters, culminating with a project that incorporates both skills as they design a carnival game. Students have the opportunity to share their games with other students in the school.