Educate the Whole Student by Integrating STEM, Liberal Arts, and Social Responsibility
Synergies in Teaching and Learning
Renaissance Engineers Projects
STEM on Thursdays is an outreach activity intended for kids at local communities. Every Thursday during the academic semester the Education Outreach Pilar of Renaissance Engineers organize and deliver STEM enrichment activities for kids at libraries around Athens, OH. The 60 - 90 minute interactions promote STEM to kids, enable "buddying" between kids and college students, and provide an opportunity for college students to apply what they learn in class in a community engagement type of activity.
In the Spotlight
Educational Outreach 2017 (video)
Project Owner: Jacqueline Krim,
Renaissance Engineers Vice President and Director of Education Outreach
Contact: jacquelinekrim@gmail.com
Annual Engineering and Technology Days are daylong STEM events intended for K - 8 students. The events occur on a Saturday in February and are organized by the Renaissance Engineers in synergy with the Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery. Participants include WOUB Learning Lab; Ohio University's Physics and Astronomy; Ohio University's Russ College of Engineering and Technology; and student organizations such as Tau Beta Pi, ASCE, AAEES, Chi Epsilon, Green Roof Project, and PAVE. Projects include airplane cockpit, autonomous vehicles, electricity, green roofs, hovercrafts, magnetic vehicles, programming, towers + bridges, rockets, 3D-printing, and other.
Moving forward, the vision is to organize the events around a theme that connects STEM with humanities, arts, and social responsibility. For ideas and to request participation email Athan at avouzianas@synergiesproject.com.
In the Spotlight
Future pilots and engineers learn about flying. Photo: Ashley Stottlemyer
Electricity is cool too. Photo: Ashley Stottlemyer
Photo: Ashley Stottlemyer
Future pilots and engineers learn about flying. Photo: Ashley Stottlemyer
Project Owner: Jacqueline Krim,
Renaissance Engineers Vice President and Director of Education Outreach;
Contact: jacquelinekrim@gmail.com
The Renaissance Engineers are building a flight simulator using an airplane cockpit shell. The idea is to create a modular airplane cockpit flight simulator to take to schools and libraries and deliver STEM activities to the students. Students will learn the science, engineering, and mathematics of flying an airplane and the technologies for Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance. The cockpit and other equipment was a kind donation from Ohio University's Avionics Engineering Center.
Preparing the Airplane Cockpit (video)
Project Owner: Athan Vouzianas,
Synergies Project Founder, Partner, and Team Leader; Renaissance Engineers Founder and Adviser
Contact: avouzianas@synergiesproject.com
Dismantling the cockpit to move it from airport to event location.
Dismantling the cockpit to move it from airport to event location.
Testing cockpit installation.
Dismantling the cockpit to move it from airport to event location.
Good Works is a community organization in southeast Ohio with vision "to create and sustain a community of hope with and for people who are struggling with poverty and homelessness in rural Appalachia." Since the inception of Renaissance Engineers, our colleagues and friends at Good Works have been our partners and mentors by giving us projects and service-learning activities. The Renaissance Engineers built a 50 ft. pedestrian bridge on a trail path at Good Works' property. The single-span bridge replaced an older double-span bridge which had been damaged from water, soil erosion, and debris. Project expenses were covered by Good Works and pocket money from the Renaissance Engineers project team.
In the Spotlight
Good Works Bridge Opening (edited video, 9 min)
Good Works Bridge Opening (unedited video, 18 min)
Project Owner:
Timothy Pike,
Renaissance Engineers Member and Good Works Bridge Project Manager
Contact: tbp@cp-com.com
Women for Recovery is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports women in their early recovery. Serenity Grove is the organization's Level 2 transitional recovery house that supports women in their early recovery in Athens County, Ohio. The Renaissance Engineers ensured the safety of Serenity Grove's residents and visitors by building a hand rail for the stairs that lead from the parking to the house.
Project Owner:
Timothy Pike,
Renaissance Engineers Member and Serenity Grove Hand-Rail Project Manager
Contact: tbp@cp-com.com
The Renaissance Engineers are building a hovercraft. The idea started by using a hair dryer to create lift to a piece of cardboard enclosed in a Ziploc bag. In the 1st prototype we utilized two hair dryers, one for "lift" and another for "push". To allow "autonomy" in movement we connected the power cable to a hook in the ceiling which allowed the hovercraft to hover in a circle. For the 2nd prototype we used blades from old drones, 3D printed some components, and programmed a Raspberry Pi computer connected to a Xbox controller to control the motion.
Our future hovercraft.
Our future hovercraft.
1st prototype (video)
2nd prototype (video)
Hovercraft (video)
Project Owner: Andrew Videmsek,
Renaissance Engineers Member and Hovercraft Project Manager
Contact: a.videmsek@gmail.com