HTHS engineering students rethink renewable energy
In Chris Bond’s Engineering Academy classroom, seniors are asked to find a problem and solve it. Hewitt-Trussville High School students Travis Gunn and Elijah Greene decided to find an energy source that could work in the middle of the wilderness.
“Some people say you don’t need it, but in the age of technology, it’s GPS, communication devices, everything. I mean, you can still pull out a map and a compass, but the easier ways all rely on electricity. So instead of packing an extra pack of batteries, which may or may not all go dead, we decided to design something that would create electricity as a renewable source,” Gunn said.
Gunn and Greene’s senior project — a trekking pole that generates electricity through the movement of walking — was so successful that they won a regional science and engineering fair and placed second in their category at a state fair. This earned Gunn and Greene a spot at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, later this month.
The Engineering Academy starts in middle school and gives students the chance to learn about design and creation through hands-on experience. Bond’s classroom includes a 3D printer, 3D design software and other tools. The academy courses culminate in the senior project.
“They discover problems that exist in the world and find solutions to those problems,” Bond said. “They look around at things that they love, things that they’re passionate about but also issues that family members might have.”
Gunn said his knowledge about engineering has grown “leaps and bounds” because of his involvement in the Engineering Academy since seventh grade. He said he plans to use that knowledge when he begins studying mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the fall.
Gunn and Greene said they tried out several different ideas before settling on their final design, in which the up-and-down motion of the trekking pole as its user walks moves magnets through copper wire inside to generate electricity.
The pair began building their prototype in January and finished it March 4, the night before their regional fair. Except for circuit boards and a small section of carbon fiber tube, everything in the pole was designed and built in Bond’s classroom.
The finished pole is just as sturdy as a regular trekking pole and only slightly heavier, though Gunn said the weight is about the same as an additional pack of batteries.
“In this case, you have unlimited batteries,” he said.
Bond said he always enters a few of his class’ senior projects into the annual Birmingham-area science and engineering fair. He said he chose Gunn and Greene’s project because it was innovative and incorporated both science and engineering in its design.
“Every year we’re pretty successful at the fair because of the great work that goes on in that classroom,” Bond said.
After their overall win at the regional fair, Gunn said he and Greene were hoping to win again at the state level, but he said they are still excited about their second place finish. They have some final battery testing and improvements to make to their informational poster before heading to the international fair.
According to the Intel fair’s website, Gunn and Greene’s trekking pole will be competing against projects from about 1,700 students from 75 countries. About $4 million in prizes will be given to top competitors, but Gunn said his goal is to place in the “top four,” or top 25 percent, in their project’s category.
Intel’s International Science And Engineering Fair is May 8-13.