May the Force of STEM Be with Them

This past spring in the Lower School's Idea Lab, Penn Charter fourth and fifth graders met R2-D2—built entirely by Director of Technology Scott Davis using 3D printing and engineering. "I thought R2-D2 was incredible," fifth grader Malcolm Sullivan said. "I feel that Mr. Davis's hard work has paid off."

"R2 started as a 3D print," Davis explained. After extensive post-processing to smooth the surfaces, he fitted the droid with micro-controllers, MP3 boards, motor controllers and an amplifier—giving R2 authentic lights, sound and movement, controlled by RC remotes.

"The coolest part was when Mr. Davis took off the head and we could see all the effort and wiring it took," fifth grader Aryana Adappa said. "R2-D2 inspired me to believe that people can make something so successful using the same skills we're learning."

The visit tied directly into the Lower School's innovation and design curriculum. Fifth graders learn 3D design fundamentals using Tinkercad before printing their own models in the Idea Lab. "It was a great opportunity for them to see an incredible real-world example of what's possible to create," said innovation and design teacher Rachel Evans. In the robotics portion of the unit, students build mini-golf courses for Sphero Bolt+ robots, then program classmates' robots to navigate them—"a fantastic way for them to apply logic and engineering in a hands-on way," said Dan Stahl, Lower School technology coordinator.

Davis may bring more droids to campus in the future. "I'm part of a community of droid builders who share their knowledge to help each other out," he said, noting the group shares builds at Comic-Cons, charity events, schools, and Star Wars nights with the Phillies and Flyers.