Countywide : Hands-On Experiments Show Students How Things Work

Han Tran, 12, gasped and jerked backward when her experiment concluded with a loud, cracking sound of splintering wood.

Studying the remains of a wooden bridge that had been brought down by weights hung from its center, she said the experiment was interesting because it taught her something new and also because “it startled me.”

Han, a sixth-grade student at Finley Elementary School in Westminster, was one of about 60 students from local elementary schools who visited Fluor Daniel in Irvine on Wednesday to view exotic experiments. During their six-hour tour, the children helped execute hands-on experiments related to static electricity, structural design, hydraulics and other topics, said Fluor spokeswoman Kirsten Frosh.

The students, from Finley in Westminster and Arroyo Vista Elementary School in Rancho Santa Margarita, visited the company as part of national Engineering Week.

“Our goal is to make them aware of what engineering is. They already know what science is, but we want to show them how engineering relates to what they see in their lives,” said Janet Po, who organized the tour.

Arroyo Vista student Crystal Brown, 11, said the visit succeeded in that respect. After performing experiments and quizzing their engineer hosts, she said, she now appreciates the amount of work that goes into creating everyday objects.

For example, she said, “when you get a new car or move into a new house, you never think about who made it and how hard it was. You’re just happy to have it.”

She praised her hosts for creating enjoyable experiments and displays, including earthquake simulators, robotic butterflies and computer-assisted designing.

“It’s visual and you get to touch stuff and you learn more things than just by watching someone telling it to you. When you get to do the experiment yourself, you remember,” she said.