Schools
UCSI roller-coaster trade show is a great ride
Utica Community Schools students combine English, algebra I, algebra II and pre-calculus to invent ultimate thrill rides
Utica Center for Science and Industry students recently experienced the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
More than 40 student teams staged a trade show where they became junior entrepreneurs to pitch new roller-coaster concepts based on books they had read.
“This was a fun project,” said tenth grader Alivia Kruger, standing next to her “Roaring Thunder” coaster. “I learned a lot about working in a group. We had to learn to work together to create our project and see eye to eye.”
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Her team’s coaster was based on A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. The coaster was built to scale representing 106 feet at its highest point and 6,500 feet in length with a run time lasting one minute. The students estimated it would cost about $21 million to build.
The trade show was the final showcase for a cross-curricular project that combined English, algebra I, algebra II and pre-calculus with the UCSI-specific curriculum of engineering technology, multimedia technology and mechatronics.
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Each team had to design and create a 3D model roller-coaster based on a literature selection they had all read. Researching and calculating building specifications and safety limitations were part of the two-week assignment, along with developing a prototype along with a marketing plan and original promotional materials.
The ideas were pitched to potential ‘investors’ (parents, business professionals and school staff).
Investors at the USCI event were asked to rate the presentations for Best in Show, Best Visual Display, Best Sales Pitch, Most Professional Group and Coaster I’d Most Like to Ride.
Other projects at the event included a take on Romeo and Juliet called “Amore and Morte” which ends underground, similar to the final tomb theme in the Shakespeare play. Another idea was a coaster where riders drove through a flaming circle, based on the poem The Tyger by William Blake.
The projects were also assessed by classroom teachers in multiple areas including application of a literary theme, engineering elements, research skills, cost estimates, use of materials, visual display and overall knowledge and professionalism.
