The Science Center of Iowa welcomed the Department of Aerospace Engineering to speak to children at the SCI Take Flight Summer Camp. Teaching laboratory associate, Carolyn Riedel, and
graduate program assistant, Sara Goplin, spoke to the children, ages 3-5, about rockets and space.
Riedel and Goplin spent time with two different classes, taking questions and speaking to them about how rockets work and how they are used. They also assisted one of the classes with a rocket launch, creating rockets using plastic bottles and launching them with an air compressor. The students learned the parts of a rocket and experimented with their designs before launch. All of the children were very curious, asking questions about space, astronauts, and rockets.
Riedel and Goplin were also able to show the children career paths for aerospace engineers and inspire some future engineers.