Freshman Kanika Vora has always liked building. For years, she has loved to “make something out of nothing.” From swing sets to go-carts, she has always let her imagination run wild.
To cultivate her interest in building and engineering, Vora enrolled in the newly created Introduction to Engineering class. The class, taught by math teacher Audrey Warmuth, helps students “[learn] the entire process of coming up with an idea, sketching it, and then making it happen,” Vora said. The class has garnered a lot of interest, with 24-30 students in each of the two classes.
According to Warmuth, Introduction to Engineering teaches students the design process in engineering.
“Intro to Engineering is a course designed to teach students in a more more hands-on way," Warmuth said.
The class is held in the old woodshop room, across from the music quad and next to the weightroom.
In the class, students will learn to sketch and brainstorm ideas using a computer program called Computer Aided Design (CAD) to help them.
Additionally, students learn to apply mathematical concepts to real-life problems.
Vora said that at first, she was not sure whether she would enjoy the class, but decided to try it because of her deep interest in building and creating things.
“On the first day of school, I decided that I made a really good call taking engineering because that was by far my favorite class of the day,” Vora said.
She also liked that they were able to create something and begin working on hands-on projects from the beginning. For example, during the first week, students were asked to do certain tasks such as make an object go the farthest distance with limited supplies.
“I liked that the class was not a place to sit and take notes,” Vora said.
Freshman Iris Nayki agrees, explaining that she likes learning actively in the class, as compared to other core classes.
Nayki chose to take the class because she wants to become an industrial engineer. Because of her love for math and science, she was excited to take a class that had a mix of both.
“I think it is amazing how engineering plays a huge part in everything we do and use,” Nayki said.
Nayki’s parents, who are both engineers, sparked her interest in the field.
“When I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up [when I was younger], I would say I wanted to be just like my mom, an engineer,” she said.
Vora added that the challenges required out-of-the-box creativity and thinking, and this makes them even more interesting. Warmuth said that creativity plays a huge part in the course.
“Some kids are creative in the way of engineering and not in fine arts. Intro to Engineering helps students be creative in that particular niche," she said.