Technology & Innovation

Engineering students are tasked with creating the tallest tower out of straws that could support a tennis ball. Students are given 25 straws and a roll of Scotch tape. They could use tape on the first tower, but not on the second. It's all about trial and error project design!

The tallest tower, thus far, has been created by Jason Paul and Joshua Sojka at 52"!

All Freshmen students take the Innovation, Design, Engineering, and Applications course. During this course, students learn to build and maneuver a robotic car from scratch, create a car company (complete with branding, marketing, and expected revenue projections), and present their complete projects as a team.

In the Introduction to Engineering course, students are tasked with designing a car powered by just one standard mousetrap and making it move the furthest. So far, Renee K. and Gina G. hold the record at 52 feet! 

Jeremy Hopwood '14 paid a visit to our Engineering students! Jeremy is currently a mechanical/aerospace engineering student at Central Connecticut State University and recently won a NASA research fellowship! 

Placing high school math and science classes into applied context through the thrilling real-world framework of aviation. Students are equipped with key college and career skills including critical thinking, public speaking, task management, and effective teamwork and communication. Through extensive ground school studies and strenuous flight training on highly realistic desktop simulators, students will boast a significant portion of the same training civilian and military
pilot candidates receive in flight school. Students interested in aviation, physiological effects aircraft on the human body, and application of physics and math in the real world are encouraged to take this course.

Through an open-ended and semester-long project, students will learn “on the job”. They are provided with a framework, and deadlines, and are required to work within their team to execute the entire design life cycle—planning, analysis, design, and implementation. This project focuses on both software and hardware with an emphasis on student autonomy, emulating industry practices. The students’ groups are structured as cross-functional engineering teams, which facilitates cohesive and consistent progress throughout the design process.

Cybersecurity is becoming a booming industry, with every large corporation putting a major focus on how to handle their company data in a thoughtful and protected way while also allowing their workforce to have flexibility and mobility. Students learning the fundamentals of cybersecurity will allow them to flourish in a variety of careers both inside security-focused companies and in careers outside of the tech industry. Students will learn foundational skills in coding and networking and then build into basic skills of encryption, cryptography, and vulnerability analysis.

Offered by Milestone C, this course brings freshman face to face with “real world experience”. Using technology-centered, hands-on, inquiry-based learning, and problem-solving, students are faced with building an electric car company from the ground up. Students take on specific roles and are tasked building a remote-control electric car prototype, website and marketing materials, renderings, detailed sketches, and presentations to their stakeholders. Students will have repeated opportunities to utilize their own skill sets, be a part of a simulated company, and learn new foundational skills. Using the design mindset, students will apply problem-solving skills, collaboration & cultivating teamwork, communication, practice task and time management, and critical-thinking skills.

This semester course teaches students how to plan and build their own designs to achieve a goal. Students work in teams of two and are provided with the tools and materials for hands-on, project based learning that allows for creativity in simple yet challenging projects where there is no single correct answer. Among other projects, students will learn to build and then minimize the effects of friction on a propeller powered toy car; how to balance forces while building an index card tower to hold textbooks; and the aerodynamics of making a paper airplane that makes a sharp left turn after going straight for 50 feet.

Offered by Milestone C, this course brings students into the world of robotics, one that is interwoven consistently in the fabrics of every single engineering and scientific industry, from aerospace and automotive, to medicine and nuclear physics. Students will build a robotic hexapod and code/program the robot in order to gain understanding of how electronics, mechanics, and software come together, leading to articulated and automated systems design. Featuring state-of-the-art technology, students rapidly propel from foundational topics into articulation, feedback loops, and auomation programming
while defining the cutting edge of STEM education at each step. Students will have the opportunity to explore hardware, software, App Development, 3D modeling and printing, and Arduino programming fundamentals. This course pushes students critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills at various stages throughout the program.

Offered by Milestone C, this course brings students into the world of robotics, one that is interwoven consistently in the fabrics of every single engineering and scientific industry, from aerospace and automotive, to medicine and nuclear physics. Students will build a robotic hexapod and code/program the robot in order to gain understanding of how electronics, mechanics, and software come together, leading to articulated and automated systems design. Featuring state-of-the-art technology, students rapidly propel from foundational topics into articulation, feedback loops, and automation programming while defining the cutting edge of STEM education at each step. Students will have the opportunity to explore hardware, software, App Development, 3D modeling and printing, and Arduino programming fundamentals. This course pushes students critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills at various stages throughout the program.

In today’s global technology network, software is the single common thread tying all disciplines together. All STEM industries, without exception, benefit from the efforts of software developers, engineers, and integrators daily. This lightening-paced course will introduce students to how corporate software projects are developed, managed, integrated, and fielded. An interface-oriented approach to software development eliminates the need for any prior coding experience. Students will navigate this complex world following a project-based roadmap and leave with a significant sense of accomplishment and key professional skills after creating professional-caliber apps, games, and control algorithms. Students will establish a solid foundation in software development principles, and gain big-picture understanding of interface management and the engineering process at large. Students interested in understanding how software and hardware affect each other and how software projects are developed are encouraged to take this course. No prior coding experience required.

Students embark on an extended design project emulating a real-world engineering program, complete with requirement analysis, milestone reviews, schedule management, and a detailed test program prior to fielding a complex, physical end-product. Students will benefit from the technical and soft skills acquired during this course for years to come, regardless of the career path they choose. Students interested in applying the thought process of a designer while designing, building,
and testing a prototype to meet a customer’s needs are encouraged to take this course.

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of software applications and digital tools. This course aims to equip students with essential skills and knowledge in the field of computing technologies, with a specific focus on modern applications, artificial intelligence (AI), and ethical considerations within technology. The course provides practical insights into computing applications in various aspects of life, emphasizing real-world scenarios where students will engage in hands-on activities, projects, and real-world applications to reinforce their learning throughout the course.