UNH Today

English Language Learners from area middle and high schools turned their minds to the skies Monday in UNH Manchester’s STEM Discovery Lab. As part of the EXCELL in STEM program, students explored the basics of aeronautics as they constructed and flew their own foam gliders.

Sean Tavares, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology, led the project, which was based off an educational activity developed by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). Tavares said he’s had “aeromania” — a fascination with everything that flies — since he was child.

“I’ve been a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics since I was 12 or 13,” Tavares said. “And I was building and flying model rockets and airplanes a few years before that.”

Each student built a glider using just a foam plate, pen, tape, scissors and a penny. It was a flurry of trial and error as students adjusted the wings of their gliders between each toss, striving to get the most distance. Tavares said the glider project is a fun way to teach students how planes operate.

“This is a very basic airplane, but it illustrates the role forces involved in flight and the role of control surfaces in causing an aircraft to maneuver,” Tavares said.

EXCELL in STEM is a five-week program that combines hands-on science and computing activities with pre-college English language practice. Mihaela Sabin, associate professor of computer science and faculty director at the STEM Discovery Lab, said the EXCELL program also gives students insight into higher education STEM studies.

"EXCELL in STEM students have direct interactions with UNH Manchester's undergraduates in Biological Sciences, Computer Information Systems and Computer Science and Entrepreneurship programs,” Sabin said. “These experiences give them motivation and confidence in their academic preparation for college education."

Michael Pugh, program director and senior lecturer in the English department, said the hands-on, collaborative nature of the EXCELL in STEM program is helpful in learning English. 

“This and other program activities help students develop their English skills for future studies by practicing the language of scientific method,” Pugh said.

The EXCELL in STEM program concluded Wednesday, August 5, with a certification ceremony at UNH Manchester, where students had their summer projects on display.

EXCELL in STEM 2015 was made possible through the support of the Agnes Lindsay Trust. To learn more about the STEM Discovery Lab and its programs, click here.