The Academy for Science and Design hosted its fourth SPARK conference day of the school year.

The Academy for Science and Design, an open-enrollment chartered public school servicing student in grades 6-12 that focuses on STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), hosted its fourth SPARK conference day of the school year on Wednesday, April 2 .  SPARK Conferences (Symposium Promoting Advancement of Real-World Knowledge) are intended to expose our students to various STEM careers, relevant topics and issues in the realm of science and technology, as well as cultivate their unique interests and talents.

Presenters at SPARK include various members of the ASD school community such as faculty, students, and parents; in addition, SPARK presenters come from local community organizations, some are individuals from higher educational institutions, while others are innovators within the corporate sphere. These presenters believe it is critical to enlighten and inspire our young leaders of tomorrow through exposure to experiences, ideas, and challenges that will help them to become creative and energetic leaders. Individuals who give their time to this conference series are shaping New Hampshire’s future in the realm of science and technology.

SPARK presenters were impressed by the enthusiasm and depth of knowledge of ASD’s student body. Peter Bewley of BAE Systems was particularly impressed when the students in his session “Being a Working Engineer” brainstormed about designing a system and came up with the same concepts that actual BAE engineers had years earlier when they were in the design stage. “It was amazing that in the 20 minutes they had to come up with ideas, that these students knew enough about engineering design to actually have some of the same ideas about what may work as the adults had, and many of these professionals have masters degrees,” Bewley exclaimed.  He ended his session having the students build small desk lamps which they got to take home, and he gave all of the participants complimentary BAE lunchboxes.

Other popular sessions included Haywood Gelman’s “Design Networks Like a Rockstar,” where students learned in great detail the components of a network and how they interact, and Professor of Nursing Theresa Williams’ hands-on session “Would You Like to be a Nurse,” which introduced students to the nursing profession and the many possibilities a career in nursing has to offer. In addition to learning useful skills including listening to heart and lung sounds and checking blood pressure, the students also got to practice changing a dressing on a simulated wound.

All of the students got to choose which sessions they attended, and this SPARK day offered a variety of fascinating topic to explore, like: “The Beauty of Bitcoin” (Darren Tapp), “Balloon Rocket Races” (Sarah Frischknecht), “Einstein’s Special Relativity” (Dr. Farazdel), “The Future of the Internet” (Lalit Shinde), “Instant Challenges” (Brenda Chase), “An Hour of Code” (Susan Chauvette), “Resumes and Cover Letters” (Jane Buck), “Chemistry and Harry Potter” (Dr. MacDonald), “Chemical and Electrical Energy” (Dr. Dan Wolaver), “Designing and Engineering Products” (Art Rousmaniere), “Russian Fairy Tales” (Raya Fratkina), “Self Esteem, Goals and Performance: Intro to Self Defense” (Masters Ron and Eileen Bastien), “The Shape of Skiing: Making Skis” (The St. Gelais’ of Saint Skis), “Emergency Management in Nashua” (Justin Kates), “Why Yoda Needs a Box: An Overview of Package Engineering” (Elizabeth Richmond) and many more presented by staff members as well as members of the community.

In addition to the above sessions, upper class students, along with an adult advisor, had an opportunity to present sessions for the students, too. These student-run sessions included: Ruby on the Rails: An Introduction to Agile Programming Concepts (Dillon & Mrs. Morse), “Battle Tactics, Real Time Strategy” (Ryan & Mrs. Glossop), “Digital Filmmaking” (Colin & Mrs. Bewley), “Tea with the Great Composers & Fun with Reptiles” (Noah & Mrs. Jacobs) and “Marble Mania” (Connor, Kyle & Mrs. Joyce). ASD has a stewardship requirement of 150 service hours in order for students to graduate. All of our students excel at helping others in the community, but the students who ran a SPARK session took an opportunity to share their knowledge with fellow students while also volunteering to help the school offer a larger variety of sessions. Stewardship supports the theory that the future leaders, when left on their own, will indeed act as responsible stewards of their environment, and it is also about community service. Through various volunteer experiences, students gain a deeper sense of themselves, their abilities and gifts, the needs of strangers (and in this case, fellow students), and their connectedness to the larger world.

The Academy for Science and Design is actively seeking to partner with local companies and businesses for student-centered things such as internships in STEM fields for our students, financial donations, and/or presenters for our school for the SPARK Conferences. Financial donations can be an outright financial contribution in the amount of your choice, or can consist of underwriting costs for installing a specific facility technology or program. All contributors will be listed in a year-end newspaper ad as “ASD Partners in Innovation” with reference to the levels of sponsorship. The Academy for Science and Design has one more SPARK Conference scheduled this year, and presenters from the community are always welcome. More information can be found on our website at www.asdnh.org.