Students in Centennial’s AVID program, through I-Rise (Illinois partnership for Respecting the Identities of Students in Engineering), have teamed up with U of I Mechanical Engineering students and Gies College of Business students. Their goal? To develop a protoype that would improve the performance of University of Illinois Wheelchair Basketball athletes. Quite an opportunity for students to make a connection with the world of engineering.
They will be recognized on Monday at the NCSA Atrium and Auditorium on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Here are more details:
Centennial High School IRISE engineering scholars collaborate with University of Illinois Mechanical Engineering students and Geis College of Business to further develop prototypes to give Fighting Illini Wheelchair Basketball athletes a competitive edge.
Join us on Monday, May 7th as we celebrate the partnership between Centennial High School AVID scholars (IRISE) and the University of Illinois and recognize the continued work of these student teams.
Event takes place in the NCSA Atrium and Auditorium on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Last year, student teams showcased the prototypes they engineered over the course of a semester to improve performance for wheelchair basketball athletes. Students used material science, coding systems, 3D printer technology and physics to build these prototypes.
This year, those same student groups worked to further those prototypes, bringing them to the design stage and developing a business plan. The students worked in four simulated companies and the outcome of this work will be presented at this event on May 7.
“The work done by our students is impressive and we’re excited to share it with the community,” said Lindsay Aikman, English, AVID and Social Justice Instructor, Centennial High School. “We’re grateful for this partnership. It has long lasting implications to the AVID class of 2020, including up to $10,000 in scholarship funds available for AVID students to attend engineering summer camps.”
University of Illinois Mechanical Science and Engineering graduate students visited Centennial each Friday last semester to collaborate on this project.
“It is exciting and rewarding to see the creativity and brilliant ideas coming from the AVID students. It has been a privilege to work with them over the last two years,” said Elif Ertekin, Professor, Mechanical Science & Engineering. “I know that each student is so talented and would make a great future engineer! We are especially grateful to Centennial High School for sharing their time and students with us.”
May 7 Schedule of Events:
9 – 9:15 a.m. video presentation highlighting 2018 IRISE program
9:15 – 9:30 a.m. welcome remarks
9:30 – 10:45 a.m. IRISE scholar presentations and recognition of achievements
11 – 11:45 a.m. lunch reception and student poster presentations
Photo from Unit 4 website