CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Christian Pierson and Owen Cantor-Goldner were part of the robotics club at Sunrise Drive Elementary School in the Foothills.
Now, as students at Catalina Foothills High School, they are teaching Sunrise Drive students about engineering. They've even written a curriculum.
The two, eleventh-graders who are current members of the Pioneer Robotics Club, teach students about 3D printing and how to use software to design objects. Students are using what they've learned about birds and their habitats in science class, for example, to design and print 3D models of the winged creatures.
The software teaches the basics of computer-aided design, like sizing and rotation.
“Everyone wishes they had these opportunities as a kid, and I really do," Pierson said. "I wanted to do it for these kids, getting them started in 3D printing, because obviously it changed my life."
Pierson and Cantor-Goldner have won robotics competitions and also try and get out into the community to help younger students learn about engineering.
Both students said integrating engineering into the class could possibly open doors for students and give them a picture of what job they want to do when they are older.
“It’s really a technology that’s becoming more prevalent and it’s going to be a necessity at some point because you can apply the skills, again, like the basics of the program to so many other things,” Cantor-Goldner said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
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