nanila | Let us do Space crafts

Last week, I went to IntoUniversity’s centre in Haringey to talk to a group of Year 6 (age 10-11) students. The charity invites classes of children from both primary and secondary school to participate in week-long workshops about a particular academic subject. The schools are in traditionally deprived areas of London and most of the children have parents who didn’t attend university. The intent is to get them to consider studying at university as a possibility. The last time I did a talk for IntoUniversity was a few years ago in Lambeth, when they only had one centre. I’m pleased it’s expanded since then because it’s a brilliant idea.

My students were in the middle of a week dedicated to Engineering. I talked to them about spacecraft engineering and helped them with a workshop in which they had to construct a space station from foam blocks, egg cartons, polystyrene and crayons. The spacecraft had to be subjected to several tests: a strength test (support 2 kg of flour), an insulation test (keeping a cup of hot water warm), a volume test (inserting a foam brick into the centre of the craft) and a weight test (the lighter the structure, the more points scored). The winning craft came top of the first three categories by dint of employing an embedded structure (sweet container) to hold the cup of water. It could be lifted through the roof of the craft to allow the foam brick to be inserted. This also made it heavy, but they’d accumulated so many points already that they were going to win no matter what I decided. I had the “best aesthetics” vote. Fortunately for them, they’d made the most colourful and attractive spacecraft, so it was easy. You can see all four of the spacecraft below. The winning craft with its shark-fin solar sails is on the far left.

The education workers kindly compiled the students’ feedback and e-mailed it to me today. I reproduce the students’ comments verbatim, because they are adorable.

The best thing about this programme was...
When Dr nanila came because we did Space crafts
Dr nanila because we got to make space shuttles
When Dr nanila Cam because she taught us about moving to the Moon
Dr nanila’s visit because we learnt more about Space
Seeing Dr nanila because I’d never met her before
Dr nanila because she gave an enjoyable talk about the Moon
Getting to meet Dr nanila because I got to hear about going into Space
Making Moon shelters because we worked as a team
Dr nanila because she taught us a lot about the Moon
Meeting Dr nanila because she gave me a lot of information
Making Moon shelters because it was really fun
When I met Dr nanila because she is famous

I’m dying to know if “...we did Space crafts” was an intentional pun. I’m going to send them Cassini lithographs of Saturn as a thank-you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Date: 2011-11-14 08:35 pm (UTC)

From:

alwayswondered

no subject

Awww, you're famous! And you taught kids about moving to the moon! <3

Date: 2011-11-15 08:13 pm (UTC)

nanila

I'm so not famous. The point of spacecraft engineering is to be behind the scenes. People know your work, but they have no idea who you are.

Date: 2011-11-14 09:38 pm (UTC)

sfred

Aw :-)

Date: 2011-11-15 08:14 pm (UTC)

Agreed. I was touched.

Date: 2011-11-14 09:53 pm (UTC)

ironed_orchid

That's fantastic. You're famous and instructive.

Date: 2011-11-15 08:15 pm (UTC)

Instructive, yes. Famous, not so much! (Popular on the internet: maybe a little bit?)

Date: 2011-11-14 10:23 pm (UTC)

lurkingcat

That sounds like so much fun :) Go Dr

nanila!

Thank you! Yes, it was a great day. One of the ones that makes you fall in love with you job all over again.

Date: 2011-11-14 11:18 pm (UTC)

foxfinial

<3 <3 <3

:D :D :D

Date: 2011-11-15 12:38 am (UTC)

ajnabieh

Well done, Famous Dr. Nanila!

(Off-topic: I once had a kid give a final presentation in my class where he spent like half the time talking about how, if we'd never had a Cold War, we'd all be living on the moon. He was supposed to be doing a presentation about issues of development and democracy in Egypt. See, when your students go blah blah blah Moon, it's relevant. Anyway, kid had the misfortune to be named Steve...so immediately after his presentation, I actually got up and played the class Eddie Izzard on Lies. Probably not my most professional moment ever.)

Date: 2011-11-15 08:19 pm (UTC)

Thank you, thank you! I think it's hilarious that they thought I was famous. I have no idea how I managed to give off that impression.

(I bet the other students appreciated the refreshing honesty - oh the irony! - of your actions.)

Date: 2011-11-15 03:22 am (UTC)

mme_hardy

Awww! I may have teared up a wee bit.

Date: 2011-11-15 08:20 pm (UTC)

I certainly did. The feedback from outreach is a major part of keeping me enthusiastic about my job.

Date: 2011-11-15 10:25 am (UTC)

floating_coffin

It's such a good feeling when students that you teach give you good feedback because it means they enjoyed themselves and you did a good job. For what it's worth, one of my students told me yesterday that I was the best of all the four teachers at our school. AwWwWwWWwwWW, I damn near broke into tears. Teaching is magical.

Date: 2011-11-15 08:22 pm (UTC)

Yes. Another thing that makes it beautiful is that I don't think any student realises how much the thirty seconds they spent thinking about that compliment means to their teachers. I was walking on air for two weeks after a postgrad stopped me in the corridor to tell me that a course I'd demonstrated for was the reason why he'd decided to do a PhD.