Focus: Engineering

Mount Notre Dame science teacher and degreed  engineer, Mrs. Michelle Shafer, moves through her lab, checking in on students working on a task that simulates how engineers might tackle a  challenge.  Mrs. Shafer’s class is figuring out how two separate parts work together in a larger design of a product.  The students are using SolidWorks™, the same software professionals in the industry use to create models, drawings and animations of their designs. 

“SolidWorks™ is an advanced program to which our students are not only getting exposed, but are also excelling,” said Mrs. Shafer.   “MND’s future engineers will be more prepared as they enter college with experience in 3-D CAD software.  This technology allows students to experience the process a real engineer follows in developing her design. My favorite part of this software is the sense of accomplishment the students feel when they see their sketch come alive!”

Working with industry-standard technology is not new for MND engineering students.  From the beginning of the program five years ago, Mount Notre Dame has brought the outside world in to MND’s science labs, giving its students real world knowledge and application of engineering principles. 

Later, Mrs. Shafer assigns students their next challenge: construct a two-story building made of straws that can withstand the force of an earthquake.  She turns on an earthquake simulating device made from Legos™ and informs her students that their structure must remain intact for ten seconds while on the contraption.  “There’s a twist,” she smiles.  “You don’t know the magnitude of the earthquake you’re going to get!”

MND’s engineers love a challenge!  The students quickly jump up and gather their supplies, and the brainstorming sessions begin.  This type of assignment lights up senior Sam Fisher!  “I really enjoy thinking critically,” she shares.  “This year, I have learned perseverance.  We have been given tasks that might seem impossible, but I have learned to work through them.  Anything can be solved if you put in the effort and work through the challenges that arise.”

Sam is one of many students in Mount Notre Dame’s engineering program who plans to pursue a career in this field.  She is confident that MND’s project-based course of study will give her an advantage over other high school graduates with similar ambitions.  Unlike other classes where the teacher walks students through solutions, MND students are tasked with devising the solution on their own.   “I will already be familiar with the requirements of an engineer and know how to work effectively in a team.  I really enjoy the problem-solving aspect and love the feeling when I see my design work successfully,” she says.

While many of MND’s engineering students have gone on to pursue the field in college and beyond, the critical thinking skills and techniques developed through the program are beneficial to students with other career interests.  One might ask what benefit could an engineering class have to an aspiring graphic designer, but senior Alex Lohmann clearly sees the connection. 

“I want to be a graphic designer, so working with SolidWorks™ is giving me a taste of the technology I will be working with in my future career.  It’s nice to be exposed to that kind of programming before I even begin studying the field in college,” she comments.  “I will also be working on a team with rigorous deadlines, so the similar atmosphere in this class will prepare me well for those experiences,” Alex continued.

Sam, Alex and all of Mrs. Shafer’s students praise her determination to increase the number of women in traditionally male-dominated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers.  Mrs. Shafer exposes her students to all of the disciplines in engineering, illustrating the important impact the field has on our society.  “These courses introduce young women to the good that engineers do,” Shafer shares. “It has been thought that women don’t choose engineering because it isn’t a nurturing profession.  I hope to show them that by choosing this field, they have the opportunity to make the world a better place.  What could be more nurturing than that?”