Dream it. Design It. 

Can you imagine stepping into a lab that encourages a true sense of wonder? A place where if you can dream it, you can build it?

In Fellowship's STEM program, we teach students to carefully observe the beautifully diverse and complex world in which they live - a world intelligently designed by our heavenly Creator - and prepare them to encounter and overcome challenges they will face in the world outside the classroom doors. 

This year, our Engineering Application students were tasked with building a gas-powered go-kart to compete in a “race day” at the end of the semester.  The students were given an engine, clutch, brakes, wheels, and a steering system. The rest was up to them to design and build it!

The students encountered challenges like:  How do we connect steering? How does the clutch attach to the wheel? How do we make this go-kart sturdy. . . but also go faster? 

“The team-based projects were less about the end goal of the actual go-kart and more about developing confidence as they overcame challenges, ready to take on the next thing!” explained Drew Lawes, Director of STEM at Fellowship. 

Senior year, students in the STEM concentration embark upon their capstone project - each one as unique as the individual. Every year, we see innovative projects like a bullpen bench that doesn’t touch the turf, a soccer ball launcher, a vending machine, a virtual campus tour of the STEM lab (view it on our website!), and an outdoor classroom space design. 

And maybe the best part is when our students experience that “a-ha” moment in the process - when they learn that the prototype they constructed can actually turn into a real-life product. 

 

 

But the real fun? “It’s when we test the projects that students think this is really cool,” said Lawes. 

Besides, who wouldn’t want to drive their own go-kart around campus?