This week in Engineering, students made progress on both personal and collaborative projects, applying their design skills while also reworking ideas through testing and iteration.
Quinn focused most of the week on a single project: designing a cat tower/ladder. As Quinn explained, “I spent most of this week on one project but I looked at some other things on Thursday. I am working on a cat tower/ladder. My cat likes to climb on my bed but it can be difficult for her to jump too high. I have been doing a lot of logistics as we can’t easily cut wood thicker than ¼” on the laser cutter.” After starting with a simple frame, Quinn realized the structure needed more reinforcement. “I went back and added a few more slots on to the pieces. I still plan to edit the support more but it’s a lot better now.” The project shows the importance of adjusting designs to balance practicality with stability.
Meanwhile, Bella spent time refining her key holder project and brainstorming improvements for the word clock. She shared, “On Wednesday, I cut out the parts of the key holder in cardboard and assembled a test version of it. I just cut out the pegs in wood, since I needed them to be a specific size that I couldn’t accurately get using cardboard. I also remembered that we had some orange acrylic in the shop, so I cut that out to see if I could use it for the orange parts of the design. After I put in the orange acrylic pieces, I didn’t end up liking the color. The orange was too vibrant and neon and wasn’t what I was looking for. So, my next option is to print out those pieces in regular white acrylic and just paint those pieces with an orange shade that is more what I’m looking for.” Bella also worked with Jaspreet to brainstorm mounting ideas for their giant word clock, which they plan to bring to Mr. L for feedback.
Additionally this week, we engaged the students from Metal Fabrication to help with a metal cover for the USS Cassin Young in the Boston Navy Yard. Students were able to recreate an original sheet metal cover used on the ship, which was test fitted over the weekend.
In summary, this week highlighted how iteration is key to engineering. Quinn refined the structure of a functional cat tower, while Bella tested materials to achieve the right look for her design and collaborated on a larger class project. Both demonstrated how hands-on experimentation and revision are crucial steps on the path to successful outcomes.
MVTHS Engineering 
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