<p>In a class at Center Grove High Schools, students were attempting to resolve one of humanity’s most pressing issues with recycled materials.</p>
<p>The engineering design and development students made water filters out of soda bottles, coffee filters and paper cups.</p>
<p>The task for the seniors in their capstone year was to design and test a water filter, with a goal of helping solve a crisis that affects about 790 million people — more than 10 percent of the world’s population — who don’t have access to clean water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>
<p>For the project, students have to find a way to make a water filter that meets specific standards, teacher Kyle Owens said.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>“Water availability around the world is an issue, whether it’s not having clean water or having no water available,” Owens said. “They have to create water filters that are easily built, containable, durable and sustainable, in terms of the cost and environmental impact of the device. A lot of it is from recycled materials.”</p>
<p>Students researched types of water filters and then each group of three students came up with 30 designs, narrowing those designs to four or five of the most sensible ideas, Owens said.</p>
<p>They then tested those filters by pouring dirty water through them and seeing the result.</p>
<p>After creating water filters, students will work on a project to identify and solve a problem revolving around either single-use plastics or household chores. While the water filter unit has a clearly defined issue that needs to be solved, having students identify and then solve an issue on their own prepares them for the capstone project, a semester-long venture during which students can brainstorm their own topics, and go about finding problems and solutions using their own designs. During the capstone project, students talk to engineering industry professionals, Owens said.</p>
<p>The course is the fourth and final class in Project Lead the Way’s engineering pathway. Freshmen take an introduction to engineering class, during which they create industry-standard sketches and 3D designs using modeling software and an engineering notebook. In sophomore year, engineering students take principals of engineering, building and manipulating robotics systems and exploring circuitry and programming, according to school officials.</p>
<p>During their junior year, students choose between three classes: aerospace engineering, civil engineering and architecture and digital electronics. </p>
<p>Leanna Sequeira decided to take the engineering pathway because her father is an engineer. Her favorite class so far has been aerospace engineering, she said.</p>
<p>“It’s different from anything I’ve taken,” Sequiria said. “We worked with gliders and a lot of it was student-run, based on our own testing and simulations. We built gliders and tested them to see which would go farthest.”</p>
<p>Engineering design and development has provided the most hands-on experience of any engineering class he’s taken, said Chandler Holloway.</p>
<p>“I’ve always wanted to be building with my hands,” Holloway said. "This was the most free in terms of electives. I don’t like cooking. I intend to go into mechanical engineering or aerospace engineering.”</p>
<p>Tesfa Seyoum’s favorite class was principals of engineering. He wants to go into civil engineering and architecture, he said.</p>
<p>“I really liked how it was hands-on, working with vex parts and incorporating physics in it and real-world scenarios. I like the way we approached each project by applying physics into it. I thought it was eye-opening.”</p>
<p>In one project, he and his classmates designed mechanisms to sort marbles by weight or opacity, he said.</p>
<p>Watching students create and explore is a unique aspect of engineering that makes teaching it enjoyable, Owens said.</p>
<p>“I can be a facilitator rather than an instructor,” Owens said. “I understand the principals of engineering and design and can provide them with an opportunity to design and create. That’s really cool for me to watch them and provide input here and there.”</p>
