Javascript Menu by Deluxe-Menu.com

Home      Members Login      Online Store    Sitemap       

                                              
 


December 2008 NFPA Fluid Power Challenge

The 2008 NFPA Fluid Power Challenge was held at the Milwaukee School of Engineering on November 14, 2008, Workshop Day, and December 12, 2008, Challenge Day. At the Workshop Day, twenty teams from throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois learned about fluid power and built a pneumatic lifter. Participating schools included:

Overall Champion
Starbuck Middle School – Team A
Racine, WI

Portfolio Champion 
Starbuck Middle School – Team B
Racine, WI

Design Champion
Hmong American Peace Academy 
Milwaukee, WI

Teamwork Champion
Heineman Middle School 
Algonquin, IL

Team Challenge Champion 
Fritsche Middle School – Team A 
Milwaukee, WI

Picture Gallery

   Fritsche Middle School, Milwaukee, WI
   Hartford University School, Milwaukee, WI
   Heineman Middle School, Algonquin, IL
   Hmong American Peace Academy, Milwaukee, WI
   Luxemburg-Casco Middle School, Luxemburg, WI
   Marlowe Middle School, Lake in the Hills, IL
   New Berlin Eisenhower Middle School, New Berlin, WI
   Starbuck Middle School, Racine, WI
   Vieau Middle School, Milwaukee, WI

During the weeks between the Workshop Day and Challenge Day, the teams were busy at work designing, building and testing their fluid power prototypes. 

On the Challenge Day, the teams again met at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The nineteen remaining teams competed to solve a fluid power challenge by designing and constructing a mechanism that used hydraulics technology to pick a canister from one platform, rotate, and place it on another platform. The teams were evaluated on the number of pick-and-place cycles their machine completed as well as a review of each team’s design, portfolio and teamwork.

Everyone, teachers, students, parents, and NFPA member company sponsors were excited and enthusiastic about the program. Teacher comments from the feed back form included:

“Kids loved it. Their attention has never been this focused in class!”
Scott Jex, Hmong American Peace Academy

“Real world experience. Engineering at it’s best.”
Joe Kempke, Luxemburg-Casco Middle School

“WOW! Critical thinking and problem solving skills help in everyday life & the kids rose to the challenge.”
Elaine Lorinczi, Marlowe Middle School

Student comments about the Challenge included, “exciting,” “very fun,” “educational,” “really cool” and “opening doors for me to learn more.” One student said he would recommend the Challenge to any 7th grader he knew “so they can have the same fun I did today (Challenge Day).”

A parent who attended the program said it was “perfect. The teams (and students) were totally focused.”

The NFPA Fluid Power Challenge provides Middle School students with information about fluid power technology and hands-on experience building a fluid power mechanism with real world applicability. 

Thank you to the Canadian Fluid Power Association and the following businesses for their support of the December 2008 Challenge.

 

 
     
 


To learn more about the Challenge, please contact Carrie Tatman Schwartz, Program Manager at ctschwartz@nfpa.com or (414) 778-3347.

For more information about the Foundation and the programs it supports, contact Eric Lanke at 414-778-3351 or elanke@nfpa.com

 

 

NFPA Education and Technology Foundation
Developing Tomorrow's Workforce Today


 

© National Fluid Power Association. All rights reserved.   Privacy Policy     Notice and Disclaimer       Best viewed in Internet Explorer
3333 N. Mayfair Road Suite 211 • Milwaukee, WI 53222-3219 • Telephone: 414.778.3344 • Fax: 414.778.3361 • E-mail:
nfpa@nfpa.com