Last Sunday’s meeting hosted the Coppell High School’s Aeroscience Studies program, part of the School of Engineering. Students from this year’s class presented a slide show on their 2011-2012 project of getting a rocket into high altitude. Their instructor,

Aerospace & Engineering students of Coppell HS at NSSNT

Bill Montana, continued the presentation, on the Fredricksburg HS program. Mr. Montana said that there were 45 schools across Texas doing this type of engineering and aerospace high school project, but only 5 schools are doing the high altitude project, and so far, only 1 school has been successful.

This is a tough project for anyone, especially high school students. Seventeen students will finish the program.

The Coppell Aeroscience program is a three-year program in which students learn physics and engineering principles in the context of designing, building, and testing rockets. This program is unique in that it employs problem-based learning, in which students direct their own learning as they work together to solve ill-defined real-world problems.

CHS Aeroscience is part of the School of Engineering within the STEM Academy at Coppell High School. The three courses are STEM Rocketry II (open to sophomores), STEM Rocketry III (open to juniors), and STEM Rocketry IV (open to seniors). All STEM students take STEM I as freshmen.

Coppell Aeroscience is Coppell High School’s implementation of an Aeroscience program, SystemsGo, begun by Brett Williams of Fredericksburg High School. The SystemsGo Aeroscience curriculum is being shared with high schools across the state by SystemsGo. More information can be obtained by visiting SystemGo’s website.

This project is a senior level project. The students can choose either a trans-sonic project or a high altitude rocket project. The students at Coppell H. S. selected the high altitude rocket project.

The project is to have the students start from scratch and build the project all the way to flight, ending up at White Sands New Mexico in the summer to launch. For the 2012 class, tentative launch date is in June.

The T-STEM Aerospace/Rocketry Program was awarded to IGNITE, an educational nonprofit, to implement the SystemsGo Aeroscience program. The Rocketry program provides professional development and support to teachers to implement upper level courses in up to 20 high schools. The program enables students to participate in hands-on, project based engineering and technology programs and competitions.

Coppell High School’s Aerospace project instructor is Bill Montana. He has been a teacher in the rocket program for 5 years and this is his second year doing the high altitude project. He said it costs about $30,000 for the entire program, half is spent on the trip getting to White Sands, as well as lodging and meals.

One of the biggest challenges to progressive programs such as this is funding. Mr. Montana said that this project needs a machine shop to donate time and materials and other funds to see the project through to completion. The school itself does not fund this project, and fundraising activities by the students cover only the minimal requirements. Contact Bill Montana for more information or donations to this project at http://chsaeroscience.weebly.com/

Follow them on Twitter as @chs_aeroscience.

Everyone at NSSNT wishes the aerospace students all the best in their endeavors.

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