Page 11 - Ft. Irwin High Desert Warrior, May 4 2018

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High Desert Warrior May 4, 2018
11
Community
Eggstravaganza! Library egg drop competi-
tion encourages development of STEAM skills Story and photos by Codi Kozacek
NTC / Fort Irwin PAO
FORT IRWIN, Calif. – An array of straws, balloons, popsicle sticks, plastic cups and other sundry items greeted participants at the Fort Irwin Library’s Eggstravaganza egg drop competi- tion April 18. The event, aimed at teens but open to all ages, challenged kids to use the materials to build an “egg armor” capable of protecting an uncooked egg from drops of approximately 3, 6 and 10 feet.
Participants had just one hour to design and complete their egg armor. The resulting contrap- tions ranged from a balloon raft meant to cushion the egg’s fall to a cup full of popsicle stick splinters designed to absorb the impact of the drop. The armors were judged in three categories: creativity, weight and survivability.
Jude Schmitt, 9, whose egg armor “Space Capsule Pickle” won first place in the survivability category, said the success of his design was the result of cushioning and trouble-shooting.
“I came up with cushioning and balloons on the inside,” he said. “We tried to take a balloon and wrap it around the egg, but it didn’t work out so we just put it on top. We wrapped a bunch of toilet paper around it for cushioning, too.”
Isabel Schmitt, 10, took a different approach. Her armor, which won a prize in the creativity category, utilized a mix of yarn and glue to protect the egg. She said at first she felt a lot of pres- sure because of the time constraints, but was encouraged by her armor’s early success.
“I’m not just proud of myself, I’m proud of all the other kids,” she said. “I thought all their other designs were pretty cool.”
While nearly all of the eggs eventually met an untimely end on the pavement, many of the improvised devices successfully protected their cargo through several drops. Kevin Clift, the library technician who organized the event, said the real goal was simply to get kids to innovate and think outside the box.
“The library isn’t just about reading books. It’s a place of knowledge. If you can’t come to a library and learn some history, can’t learn some science, can’t learn some math, can’t learn all different forms of knowledge – we’re not doing our job right,” he said. “We want to hit every category of knowledge, and science is one of them.”
The idea for the egg drop competition came out of the library’s annual reading program last summer, which focused on topics related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). Clift said he and the rest of the library staff hope to bring more STEAM-related events to Fort Irwin in the future, and they are always open to ideas from the public.
Codi Kozacek
Jude Schmitt, 9, built a “Space Capsule Pickle” to protect his egg during Fort Irwin Library’s Eggstravaganza egg drop competition April 18. His design won first place for survivability, protecting the egg through three drops of varying heights.
Codi Kozacek
Brothers Michael and Anthony Hernandez worked as a team to build their egg armor at the Fort Irwin Library Eggstravaganza competition April 18.
Codi Kozacek
Addison Minnick, 7, and her dad, Tech. Sgt. Heath Minnick, check the condition of her egg after it survived a drop outside the Fort Irwin Library April 18.
From JAZZ, Page 10
Codi Kozacek
The Barstow High School Jazztecs will be sharing a stage with Tower of Power horn players Tom Politzer and Adolfo Acosta May 10 -11 for their annual Atomic Jazz concert in Barstow.
said. “These are guys that are well known across the world, and to have them in Barstow is something amazing.”
The show on Friday, May 11 is free
for military members and their families. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Barstow. Tickets for the public show on May 10 are $10.
For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil