The educational outreach team builds local and regional networks with grammar, middle, and high schools, math and science programs, and scout troops to expose young students to our projects and the world of aviation. We give presentations in classrooms, facilitate aerospace-related activities to help students learn in a hands-on manner, and often host student groups at our hangar where we do some of our building. If you would like to connect your school with SAB, or have questions about Engineering Open House (EOH), we would love to connect with you too! Email oksas2@illinois.edu.
Saint Elmo Brady STEM Academy
On 11/12/16 the Ed Out team presented to approximately 30 children in fourth through sixth grade in the St. Elmo Brady STEM Academy. The kids learned about topics such as parts of an airplane and how forces control flight. After filling out a quick worksheet, each student made a candy airplane out of gum, life savers, and laffy taffy. The students then learned about the projects SAB is currently working on, the Zenith and Pro-Composites aircraft, and the difficulties that come with building a plane. The 25 minute presentation ended with passing around aluminum sheet metal so they could feel the material and see what rivets look like.
Gifford School
On 11/17/16 the team drove to Gifford Grade School and spoke to 70 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade for an hour and a half. The students learned about how SAB was started and what the organization does. The kids then learned about important qualities an aircraft must have to fly, such as being light and strong, and they each made their own candy airplane after that. Following the candy plane, the kids learned about how to become a pilot and techniques to ensure safety before takeoff, at takeoff, in the air, approaching an airport, landing, and taxiing. Finally, the students learned about traffic patterns when landing at an airport and practiced running through various landing procedures.