College-NOW Engineering Technology
Engineering Tech Degree
College-NOW is a two year program that allows high school juniors to enter North Central State College and Pioneer Career and Technology Center on a track to receive an associate degree in conjunction with their high school diploma.
This program has been developed to produce well rounded graduates who are exceptionally prepared for further education or for job entry. Students are exposed to authentic, problem-based learning opportunities provided by business partners or the students themselves. College-NOW promotes a fun atmosphere while providing academic rigor.
Engineering Projects
During their two years with College-NOW students will complete a number of engineering projects. Students work in teams led by a project manager, and in conjunction with engineers at North Central State College and/or engineers working in industry. These are some examples of their work.
The Arduino Bluetooth Robotic Car is a remote controlled car which has zero-turn capability driven by four motors. The students use an app on Android phones which allows them to communicate with and control their cars. Cars are equipped with head lights (two LEDs), tail lights (two LEDs), and a horn. An Arduino microcontroller is used to control the different electronic devices. The purpose of the project was to give the students a hands-on example of building an electrical control circuit to apply skills they have learned in their electrical classes.
Rocket Stove
Three of our College-NOW seniors will be headed to Malawi, Africa in December of 2015 to research and produce cook stoves. Their challenge is to make the cook stoves, also known as rocket stoves, more efficient, lighter weight, use local material, and improve the manufacturing process for the villagers of Malawi. Students are pictured below from left to right, Justin Leach, Carter Bishop, and Trevor Reed, with their prototype.
For our project, we are creating a binary clock that displays time using binary code, the fundamental language of computers. Binary represents all letters, numbers, and symbols through combinations of 0s and 1s. Our clock will show the time with columns representing the ones and tens places for seconds, minutes, and hours. Initially, we built circuits in Multisim to validate our design and are now testing the circuit on a breadboard. Ultimately, we plan to use SMD parts to reduce the circuit’s size and mount it inside a plexiglass case.
Three Dimensional Printer
For our PBL project, we are building a three-dimensional printer that creates 3D objects using powdered Plaster of Paris. This printer helps designers visualize the function and use of new products by producing physical models. It works by layering powdered plaster and using an inkjet printer to print on each layer. The platform moves down after each layer is printed, and a solid part forms where ink contacts the plaster, with the excess plaster falling away. So far, we have constructed most of the main structure, started disassembling the inkjet printer, attached motors to the threaded rods for layer control, and purchased the rail for the railing system.