Dr. Trevor Elliott fires rockets on Chamberlain Field with summer camp students from GPS. Photo by Angela Foster.
Countdowns and cheers erupted from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Chamberlain Field on the morning of Friday, June 26, as a group of Girls Preparatory School summer campers launched rockets into the air.
UC Foundation Associate Professor Trevor Elliott in the College of Engineering and Computer Science—and faculty advisor for UTC’s Rocket Mocs team—led the camp’s “Imagineers” through the process of designing their own model rockets. Throughout the week, campers selected nose cones, bodies and fins, learned the basics of aerodynamics, watched their designs come to life on a 3D printer and decorated their rockets before launching them on campus.
“We’re telling them and teaching them about aerodynamics at their level,” Elliott said. “We try to get them thinking about how different shapes affect how a rocket flies.”
The launches were supported by members of UTC’s Department of Public Safety, including Reserve Police Officer Lacy Bobo, who also oversees lab and radiation safety as part of the University’s Environmental Health and Safety team. While helping monitor the launch area, Bobo enjoyed talking with the campers about their rockets and cheering them on during each liftoff.
“We have a whole crew of young ladies that are interested in science, and I love to see kids getting interested in STEM, especially young girls,” Bobo said. “It’s helping these kids learn how cool science is early and get excited about it.”
Officer Lacy Bobo talks with GPS summer campers before a model rocket launch.
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Photo gallery by Angela Foster
