Robots, 3D Printers, and Solar Car Races — This Class Has It All

On this episode of the Tech Times podcast we visits Edison Preparatory High School to chat with Foundations of Engineering instructor Leslie Thornburgh. She breaks down how a one-hour elective is changing the way students experience math and science through 3D printing, robotics, solar car races, and real-world problem solving.

Transcript

Announcer: [00:00:00] From Tulsa Tech, helping you make your own path with insights and information about the world of career training. The Tech Times podcast starts right now. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Hey everyone, welcome to the Tech Times podcast. I'm your host, Ryan Williams. In this episode, we continue our look at our embedded high school extension programs with a visit to Edison Preparatory High School and the Foundations of Engineering program.

Ryan Williams (Host): This one-hour elective offers students an introduction to all of the different areas within the engineering field without even leaving their home high school. Joining us today to share all about the program is our instructor here at Edison, Ms. Leslie Thornburg. Welcome to the podcast. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Thank you. I'm glad to be here.

Ryan Williams (Host): So you are here at Edison Prep, but this class is offered at 11 different sites across our district. How do you all keep it aligned? 

Leslie Thornburgh: We are a very collaborative group. We get together very often [00:01:00] through meetings and PD, and we talk about it. We're also constantly talking to each other on Teams, and across all 11 schools, we are pretty much teaching the same exact objectives, maybe just in different ways with different projects.

Ryan Williams (Host): That's so cool. It's so great how we can collaborate like that across the entire district to be able to give the same experience to our students. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. We do an e- that is one thing that we do an excellent job with the Foundations of Engineering. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Now, our high school extension programs, if people don't understand that terminology, it's like the old days with that shop class that was in our high schools.

Ryan Williams (Host): But what makes our high school extension programs so beneficial to students? 

Leslie Thornburgh: Especially this program, Foundations of Engineering, they get to try out engineering in a nice safe environment without having to give up half their day to go to Tulsa Tech to see if they actually like it. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Sure. 

Leslie Thornburgh: And also, I've had parents come back to say to me that they've had an [00:02:00] older sibling who was not in this program go off, think they're going to be an engineer, and waste that money- 

Leslie Thornburgh: In college. That's 

Ryan Williams (Host): tough. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. And those semesters, paying for that, when they actually, maybe engineering wasn't for them. So this is a nice safe environment. They can try it out, see if this is for them, as well as other programs. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Great way to figure it out. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Now, we're under the Tulsa Tech umbrella, but what makes Edison such a special place for your classroom?

Leslie Thornburgh: Here at Edison, they really value this program. I have kids coming down from the eighth grade side and viewing when I'm doing robotics or doing something interesting in class. And some of the other schools may- don't get the support, Tulsa Tech doesn't get the support as Edison does. They love it.

Leslie Thornburgh: They absolutely love it. Parents are constantly calling me, "How can I get my kid into the program?" And so I just really feel like that Edison [00:03:00] is one of those good old-fashioned schools that really enjoys this program. 

Ryan Williams (Host): It really ... It sounds like they really do a great job of providing the exposure to the students as they're coming up so that they can see what's available to them once they get here.

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. I had actually eight different recruitment events this year. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Wow. 

Leslie Thornburgh: And when I first got here, it was a little, I go over, give a little blurb to the eighth graders, and then the last couple of years it was five, and this year they added eight, including parent nights where parents came by. They're touring their whole high school, but I'm on the tour.

Ryan Williams (Host): That's 

Leslie Thornburgh: so great. And so they're coming in, seeing what we have available, and I have the 3D printers going and robots going in the front of the room, so 

Ryan Williams (Host): they 

Leslie Thornburgh: really enjoy it. You 

Ryan Williams (Host): gotta show 'em all the cool toys. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Oh, yes. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah. So how is this class different from a typical math or science class? 

Leslie Thornburgh: Oh, it's vastly different.

Leslie Thornburgh: I was a math teacher for s- 12 years, and this [00:04:00] is completely different. This is the actual application of math and science. 

Leslie Thornburgh: And sometimes I will see those kids who tell me they're struggling in their math class, and then here they're applying those same math skills seamlessly in a hands-on project, and they're not even realizing it.

Ryan Williams (Host): That's so cool to see. 

Ryan Williams (Host): What are ... What do you think are the most challenging concepts students usually face, and how do you support them getting through that process? 

Leslie Thornburgh: I feel like the most challenging is that they're used to a teacher coming over and just fully explaining the entire concept, where I have more of a try it out, "Here's the robots.

Leslie Thornburgh: Get it together. If you run into a problem, try something else." And that's really hard for them. More than the math and the science concepts is just having that freedom of it failed, try something else until it works. 

Ryan Williams (Host): That actually is a great concept. I was gonna ... This leads me to a follow-up question that I was gonna ask.

Ryan Williams (Host): How do [00:05:00] your students learn from failure in this program? 

Leslie Thornburgh: It's very real life, because they want to be in the robotics arena and get their robot to work, and so they have to overcome that failure in order to get it to working. We also provide opportunities for competitions like the Discovery Lab. They're designing exhibits right now, and they want to be the one whose picture is next to the exhibit.

Ryan Williams (Host): Sure. 

Leslie Thornburgh: They want to be the one who wins at the TSA competition, our CTSO. So it's becomes almost intrinsic. At the beginning, the freshmen and I, they're like just help me. Explain exactly what to do," and I don't, and so we butt heads just a little bit. They overcome that, and they grow as a person, and then by the end, they're wanting to overcome that failure.

Ryan Williams (Host): That sounds so cool, because you're definitely developing those skillsets to be able to handle those real-life situations once they get into the field. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. [00:06:00] I have told my director many times I'm so thankful for this position, because I see kids grow so much more here than I ever did in a math class.

Leslie Thornburgh: Because here I see them h- not only over, coming those failures, but I'm also seeing them getting up in front of a class and presenting, something they need to do, collaborating am- amongst a group, which they need for a job someday, and I feel like I'm doing more to help them for their future than I would as a just stand up in front and lecture kind of class.

Ryan Williams (Host): For sure. For interested parents who might be listening or anyone who might be curious about engineering, what type of student tends to thrive in this program? 

Leslie Thornburgh: I would say I have all kinds of students thriving in this class. I have every ... You have the typical nerdy kid who just thrives on [00:07:00] those kind of th- and come up with those creative ideas, but I also have the kid that maybe wasn't successful in some of the traditional math or science classes, they're just struggling, and you get them in here, and they just come alive- 

Leslie Thornburgh: With that. But the most thing that I just need is for kids to be willing to try and be okay with failing. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yeah. They're not gonna fail the class. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Sure. 

Leslie Thornburgh: I don't want parents to think they're gonna- No ... come in and fail the class, but- Yeah ... they're gonna try, and they're gonna fail, and they're gonna try, and they're gonna fail, and they need to be able to overcome that and grow as a person.

Ryan Williams (Host): We talked about this a little bit earlier, but there's the stereotypical vision of what an engineering student might look like, but what type of math or academic background should a student have before en- enrolling in this? You me- you mentioned before, it doesn't have to necessarily be that stereotypical- 

Leslie Thornburgh: Right

Ryan Williams (Host): engineering 

Leslie Thornburgh: kid. We often think [00:08:00] that it has to be those super A students- ... in math and science, but often those super A students are not even the best engineering students because they have no application. 

Ryan Williams (Host): That makes total sense. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Do students coming into your class from the eighth grade have to have a particular skill set in math, or...?

Leslie Thornburgh: We just have a requirement of C or better in their eighth grade math. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay. 

Leslie Thornburgh: And so I think a lo- a long time ago, they had to be an advanced student, and they had to have an A or a B, but that's been lowered over the years, and that's to be more inclusive. Just a couple of years ago, I had a student, and because I'm a former math teacher, I would occasionally help him with his math after he was done with his project, and he told me that this was his favorite class he's ever had in high school.

Leslie Thornburgh: And I just saw him. He's a senior now. He came back, [00:09:00] and he said it was because in this class, he got to use some of those things, and I went and talked to the advanced engineering and said, "Please don't overlook him just because his math grade is not the best." He went through the advanced math... the advanced engineering program over at Limley and is planning on being an engineer now.

Ryan Williams (Host): That's so great. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes, and so we can't overlook those kids that aren't the A student because those aren't always the best engineers. 

Ryan Williams (Host): You've mentioned it here already that the practical application in this class tends to lend itself to making sense for those students. It clicks for them. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yeah.

Leslie Thornburgh: Yeah. It's just a way for them to see math and science come alive. 

Ryan Williams (Host): How do students sign up for our elective programs like yours here at Edison? 

Leslie Thornburgh: They through the recruitment events, I put out a sign-up sheet that we have a career advisor. She contacts each student. They come down, [00:10:00] and they apply, and then she looks up their grades to make sure that they have a C or better and et cetera.

Leslie Thornburgh: And then if there is more students than I have spots, like there's gonna be for next year, then they just take the kids with the best academic achievements. There just has to be some way of Filtering that out 

Ryan Williams (Host): This is an elective here at Edison- Yes ... but we still go through the Tulsa Tech application process.

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes, they still have to apply. They don't have to do a campus visit. They do have to apply, and they have to show their academic test scores- Sure ... just to show. And it's not hugely restrictive, but it has to show some minimum effort, that they're not the kids that are just going to sit in the class and not do anything.

Ryan Williams (Host): Can you name a project or something that students have built or created that they're typically proud to show off? Maybe not a capstone project, but something within the program. 

Leslie Thornburgh: The very first [00:11:00] project that my introductory class does is a puzzle cube, and they design five little pieces that put together and they...

Leslie Thornburgh: I teach them how to use my 3D printers. They 3D print it themselves. Oh, I was wondering how they're 

Ryan Williams (Host): produced. They use 

Leslie Thornburgh: the design. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. They design the whole thing, and you would've think that they have designed a piece of gold- ... because they are so proud of that. They take it around to all of their friends, and then that first semester final is a Christmas ornament.

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, wow. 

Leslie Thornburgh: And they're on everybody's trees. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah. Plus you can take that home to your guardian- Yes ... parents or guardians. Yeah, that's fun. How does this class help students outside of engineering? 

Leslie Thornburgh: This class helps them so much. I have my top 10 so- soft skills that real... It doesn't matter if you're gonna be an engineer or whatever you're going to be, even if they're getting a job at the local Chick-fil-A.[00:12:00] 

Leslie Thornburgh: I'm teaching them interview skills, how to carry themselves, how to work with a group, how to use problem-solving skills, how to be an independent thinker. And rather than asking for step-by-step instructions, my kids, when they get jobs, they keep those jobs. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Your students are part of a career tech, you mentioned this earlier, part of a career tech student organization, or CTSO.

Ryan Williams (Host): Yours happens to be TSA. What does that add to your course? 

Leslie Thornburgh: Oh, it adds so much to my course. Throughout my program, if I can substitute in a TSA project that they can take to a competition to replace, if it's equal in objectives, I will replace that, and the kids are collaborating in class to do that project.

Leslie Thornburgh: Then they're taking it to competitions. I've taken them to mini conferences, regional conferences, the state conference, and we [00:13:00] come back with trophies and awards. They're so proud of themselves. They're tell- their younger siblings, and now I have a Older siblings coming through TSA, and we finally had our very first place and we're off to nationals 

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, that's so cool 

Leslie Thornburgh: And the parents are thrilled 

Ryan Williams (Host): So where is nationals this summer?

Leslie Thornburgh: This summer it's in Washington, DC 

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, fun 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yeah, so my two young men that made nationals are already looking up things to do- ... the Smithsonian and maybe touring the capital 

Ryan Williams (Host): There's a lot to do in DC. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. Yeah It's such an enriching experience, and when they're at TSA, they had to pre... do a sales pitch in front of judges.

Leslie Thornburgh: Other groups had to do interviews, and we practiced here in class- ... how to do those interviews and be successful at it. Which, as is sometimes you can get a job that you're not quite quali- qualified for [00:14:00] if you have great interview skills 

Ryan Williams (Host): And then the confidence. Yes fake it till you make it almost.

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Exactly 

Ryan Williams (Host): What would you say to someone who thinks they're, quote, not good at engineering, unquote? 

Leslie Thornburgh: Have you tried it? 

Ryan Williams (Host): Good question. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yeah. Good follow-up Have you tried it? Until you get... that's what this class is for. They can try it out, see if they like it. Do they like designing things?

Leslie Thornburgh: Oh, Fusion 360 is a huge thing. A lot of kids were a little bit weary of it when they first tried it, and now they ask all the time, "Hey, when are we gonna design something on Fusion 360? When are we gonna 3D print again?" 

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, so tell us a little bit more about what that is, Fusion 360. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Fusion 360 is a CAD software, a computer-aided design, where they take the ideas that they come up with and they draw them out into flat sketches and then make them into three-dimensional designs.

Leslie Thornburgh: Then they slice that and are able to 3D print it back in our 3D printers. 

Ryan Williams (Host): That's a cool piece of software, for sure. 

Leslie Thornburgh: [00:15:00] Yes. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Obviously a lot of our engineering students will be o- move on to college if they're gonna pursue this field. What are some different career paths students might not know about that are connected to engineering?

Leslie Thornburgh: Tulsa Tech has a few things that they may not think about, like our drafting program. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, sure. 

Leslie Thornburgh: I have had a few students not even go the college route and go to drafting or me- mechatronics. And when they go to college, you can, TCC has a, an associate's degree in engineering where you can be, it's like an engineering assistant almost, where you're doing the CAD and et cetera.

Leslie Thornburgh: And aviation engineering techs can make a six-figure salary. 

Leslie Thornburgh: So it's not always that four-year degree, but when they do go engineering, you can- You learn skills in this class for, I would say, business. [00:16:00] We- this is connected to the biomed- ... program over at Limley, so they can go over to biomed, go into medicine- 

Leslie Thornburgh: Is another avenue. So there's lots of avenues. This is a nice problem-solving class. So any major that has to do with problem-solving or computer skills. 

Ryan Williams (Host): That makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Yeah, you could really take those skills in a lot of different directions. How does this course help students figure out what they want to do after high school?

Leslie Thornburgh: We not only dive into engineering in this class, because they can see engineering school is expensive. And they can see whether that is what they wanna do. If they like this, they can continue on in college. If they, Also, we go over to other campuses and see some of the other programs, and maybe something else they're into.

Leslie Thornburgh: I have a whole group of [00:17:00] boys, when they're back there working on their robots and their solar cars, they thought, "This is what I wanna do," and I have five young men that have signed up for our automotive tech- 

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, 

Leslie Thornburgh: very cool ... for their junior/senior year. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Very cool. 

Leslie Thornburgh: So it can branch off to other things. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Your- you just mentioned a few things like robots and solar cars.

Ryan Williams (Host): What's your favorite project that students get to do in your class? 

Leslie Thornburgh: My favorite project is the solar cars. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay. 

Leslie Thornburgh: It has a little bit of envir- environmental engineering, a little bit of electrical engineering, a little bit of mechanical engineering. So it's in the environmental engineering unit, but it has a little bit of everything.

Leslie Thornburgh: We have races- ... in the classroom. We take them outside. They're learning to use a soldering iron. It's... I've seen kids just come alive during that project, and it's one of their favorites to take to [00:18:00] TSA. 

Ryan Williams (Host): I think it's such a fun project because you get that tangible build that you, that widget that you got to build with your own hands, and then, how fun is it to race and see who wins, right?

Ryan Williams (Host): Exactly. So I totally get that. 

Leslie Thornburgh: It's one of my favorite every year. 

Ryan Williams (Host): We hear a lot of great feedback about our engineering programs. Why do students think taking your class is so cool? 

Leslie Thornburgh: They see the robots. Of course. The two big draws is, ooh, we get a 3D print, and there's robots. And then once they get in here, they see all the other cool things like the solar cars and the breadboarding and, designing with the laser engravers.

Leslie Thornburgh: And, but the two biggest draws, I would definitely say, are the robots and the 3D printing 

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay, we're gonna take a quick break. When... We've heard so much great info about your class, but when we come back, we'll find out a little more about your background.[00:19:00] 

Commercial: The business world is evolving. New competition, a shrinking workforce, and a greater need for specialized training. At Tulsa Tech, we are here to train your most valuable asset, your employees, equipping them with the skills to succeed. Our team is ready to help companies both big and small with training at our place or yours, and it is more affordable than you think.

Commercial: Tulsa Tech, improving your business is our business. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Okay, we are back chatting with Foundations of Engineering instructor, Leslie Thornburg. Leslie, before the break, we talked about what students get to experience in your class. Now we'd love to get to know your background just a little bit better. So a lot of our instructors here at Tulsa Tech have worked in industry.

Ryan Williams (Host): Can you chat a bit about your knowledge and experience or, and/or have you always worked in education? 

Leslie Thornburgh: In my professional career, I've always worked in education. I worked with Union High [00:20:00] School, everything from 6th grade to 12th grade math. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, wow. 

Leslie Thornburgh: I was the gifted and talented teacher at the 6th-7th grade center.

Leslie Thornburgh: I started teaching STEM, another Project Lead the Way course. I taught flight and space. I'm a huge flight and space... In my classroom, NASA is everywhere. We, my class, we all saw- Did you geek out 

Ryan Williams (Host): about Artemis? 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. We all watched Artemis throughout the day. Unfortunately, it was in the evening for the launch, but we watched it throughout the day and just geeked out with that.

Leslie Thornburgh: And then I went over to Uni- Innovation Lab, and they asked me to start a course called Math for Life, where I put in drone photogrammetry as well as things like basic stuff like how to buy a car, all kinds of math that seniors would need for real life. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Sure. 

Leslie Thornburgh: And that's where I was when I applied [00:21:00] for...

Leslie Thornburgh: I was right across the hall from Marie Feth Taylor- ... who was teaching these classes. 

Leslie Thornburgh: And she's "You're just the kind of hands-on teacher that we could use at Tech." 

Leslie Thornburgh: So I applied for it, and this is my fourth year, and I absolutely love it and don't plan on going anywhere. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, good for you.

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. 

Ryan Williams (Host): What first got you interested in engineering? And was there a specific moment that you knew it was right for you? 

Leslie Thornburgh: I actually, my first major in college was aerospace engineering. 

Ryan Williams (Host): Oh, no way. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. I had a medical condition where I had to leave college and then, did the usual life, got married, had kids, and then I came back and I wanted to be in education so I could spend more time with my family.

Leslie Thornburgh: And w- so when the opportunities came to teach pre-engineering, first as flight and space, and then now as an foundations of engineering for tech, I jumped at the chance because I've always been interested in engineering ever since [00:22:00] I was a little kid, putting things together or designing things. And so it was full circle.

Ryan Williams (Host): Yeah, definitely full circle with your aerospace engineering and Artemis- ... and everything now. We talked earlier about, like, all the eighth grade visits and recruiting events you were doing. What do you tell curious students about the class when they inevitably just peek their head into your classroom? 

Leslie Thornburgh: I said, "If you're curious, okay, if you like to solve problems, if you like doing hands-on projects, if you like robots, if you like 3D printing, just come give it a try."

Leslie Thornburgh: And every... And the biggest recruiter that I have found is word of mouth. 

Ryan Williams (Host): For sure. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. Always 

Ryan Williams (Host): has been. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yes. Because this year I have six siblings, so six kids in my class this year that's older siblings- ... have been in my class before, and at the very beginning they're calling up, "Oh, I want my kid in that program."

Leslie Thornburgh: Okay? Just to get those opportunities to [00:23:00] have the Discovery Lab come out and interview them like they were an adult. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Okay? Having those experiences, getting to go to a TSA competition without their parents, having to problem solve, having to compete, not having that, "Oh, you did a good job." 

Ryan Williams (Host): Checkbox. 

Leslie Thornburgh: Yeah. Yeah, check the box. Yeah. But they actually are competing with students from across Green Country, okay, and y- and the state. 

Ryan Williams (Host): That's awesome. What's your favorite part about working at Tulsa Tech? 

Leslie Thornburgh: I love the people at Tulsa Tech. We're such a collaborative, wonderful group, and they value their employees.

Leslie Thornburgh: They value their students, something that I don't always see in public education. 

Leslie Thornburgh: But that is something that was a huge glaring difference just feeling valued as an instructor and seeing how much they value their students. 

Ryan Williams (Host): [00:24:00] Leslie, thank you so much for joining us to talk all things Foundations of Engineering here at Edison today.

Leslie Thornburgh: Thank you so much for having me. 

Announcer: Cool. Yeah. Thank you for listening to the Tech Times podcast. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode, and be sure to like us on social media.