Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Hosts Engineering Day for Sixth Graders

Seven sessions filled with hands-on learning will help break down the theories of mathematics and science in a fun and interactive environment.

WALTHAM, Mass. - March 4, 2010 - Ever wonder what the cables on Boston's Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge feels like as it supports the weight of rush-hour traffic?

For sixth graders at the High Rock School in Needham, Mass., these questions and others will be answered when they visit the Waltham, Mass. office (41 Seyon St., Building 1, Suite 500) of engineering firm Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH) from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 15, 2010, for Engineering Day. Students attending the fourth annual Engineering Day will participate in seven interactive sessions that demonstrate engineering principles such as tension, compression, heat transfer, and material strength. Through the use of a hands-on learning environment, students will learn from professional engineers how the mathematics and science they are being taught in school today is applied to the real world.

The day is part of SGH's participation in the Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology (LIFT²) program, which promotes careers in science, technology, engineering, and math to Massachusetts students.

The following is a breakdown of the seven sessions:

Session 1 - Beam Theory and Construction
Presenter: Jennifer Grub, Staff II - Structures

This session will present the concepts of tension and compression as well as idealized modeling of a beam intended for flexural loading. Students will divide into two teams to construct a composite beam using the concepts.

Session 2 - Physical Testing in the Lab
Presenter: Art Davies, Laboratory Manager/Materials

This session will demonstrate the concepts of strength, compression, and stiffness for various materials commonly used in buildings:

• Test samples in tension and compression to reinforce concepts learned in the Beam Theory session.
• Test a foam beam in bending to illustrate how a beam in flexure has tension forces in the bottom and compression forces in the top.
• Test the composite beams that each team constructs in the Beam Theory session.

Session 3 - Building Science - Heat Flow
Presenter: Peter Babaian, Senior Project Manager

This session will examine the three mechanisms of heat transfer: conduction, radiation, and convection. Each of the principles of conduction and convection will be demonstrated, and the results of the heat transfer will be measured with an infrared camera.

Session 4 - Rope Access, Pulleys, and Cables
Presenter: Susan Knack-Brown, Senior Project Manager

This session will take place at the rope-access training tower, where students will first see a demonstration of how the rope access gear works and how engineers use it. A table with examples of the gear for students to play with will be set up as well.

Session 5 - A Tale of Two "Human" Bridges
Presenter: Michael Tecci, Staff II - Structures, and David Almeida - Co-op

In this station, students will make two different bridge structures by being the structures themselves. This way, they will feel the loads and hence remember how the structure behaves. Both bridge structures will use tension and compression elements.

Session 6 - Understanding the Effects of Fire
Presenter: Kevin LaMalva, Staff I - Fire Safety

This session will demonstrate computer-modeling techniques that are capable of estimating the effect of fire exposure on a given building environment.

Session 7 - Material Fracture
Presenter: Simon Bellemare, Senior Staff I - Materials

This session will examine material fracture. Students will be shown fractured surfaces of broken parts that SGH has obtained through project work, and parallels will be drawn between material fracture modes such as brittle fracture, ductile fracture, and crack formation to big-picture scenarios, such as broken glass, to which the students can relate.

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Media Contact: Franceen Shaughnessy, Corporate Marketing Specialist, fashaughnessy@sgh.com or 781-907-9114

About Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.

Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH) is a national engineering firm that designs, investigates, and rehabilitates structures and building enclosures. Our award-winning work encompasses building, transportation, water/wastewater, and nuclear/science/defense projects throughout the United States and in more than 30 other countries. 

SGH has offices in Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.sgh.com.

About LIFT²

Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology (LIFT²) offers middle school and high school math, science, and technology teachers a research-based professional learning program that integrates graduate coursework with authentic and relevant externships in "innovative" industries in Massachusetts. LIFT² has been sponsored through three pilot cycles by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and funded through the No Child Left Behind Act. More than 40 corporate sponsors, to date, have provided equipment grants and sponsored teacher externships for more than 80 teachers. LIFT² teachers have completed externships in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, process manufacturing, environmental services, financial services, and more. For more information, visit www.lift2.org.