July 2006• The monthly newsletter for UWT faculty and staff

Math, Science and Leadership Program — July 11, 2006

Tenth-graders in the Math, Science and Leadership Program run by UW Tacoma's Institute of Technology spent two days in July learning about space travel and rockets from Rich Lienesch, the on-site and outreach program manager for Seattle's Museum of Flight. The students sat through a brief lesson in the history of space travel and then paired off to turn ordinary two-liter pop bottles into powerful rockets using water and air pressure. Each group of students was required to create a way to transport the rocket's passenger — a raw egg — safely through the air and back to the ground without breaking.

Maya Washington , a Foss High School student, begins work on creating a protective nest for her egg, which her group christened "Jack."

Mount Tahoma High School student Larissa Jackson tests whether the parachute she's created out of a plastic bag will carry the weight of her egg, secured inside a padded Styrofoam cup.

Washington High School's Lainie-Marie Johnson, center, laughs as Washington adds construction-paper fins to their bottle, providing stability for the rocket.

Johnson gets sprayed with water after pulling a trigger to release her rocket.

Burge, left, Jackson, center, and instructor Rich Lienesch, right, investigate whether Jackson's group's egg survived the rocket's towering climb and hard landing. The egg pulled through with a few cracks.

Several students tried to get their hands on the only egg that landed without cracking or breaking.

Jack, Washington and Johnson's egg, after his brief flight.