In Mrs. Amber McCauley’s Physics of Earth and Space Science class, students are learning about alternative energy sources and the scientific method through a hands-on exploration of windmills.

A  company called Battelle National Biodefense Institute (BNBI) awarded a $2,500 grant to the class to purchase windmills and equipment.

Students made windmills with up to six blades. By turning on the fan, the blades spin and generate energy. Additionally, the students learned how to measure how much energy the windmill was making.

Alana Baye building a windmill in Physics of Earth and Space Science.

Mandi Feinberg works for BNBI and visited the class on January 11 to help the students with their projects. Feinberg said, “BNBI started giving grants to classrooms because they wanted to grow STEM programs within schools.”

The students enjoyed the project because it’s interactive. McCauley said, “I like the project because it allows us to test a variety of different variables quickly, and it also lets us look at energy and electricity at the same time.”

Tomi Baye, a member of the Class of 2022 and a student in the class, said “I like the project because it’s more interesting than doing worksheets.”

Grants like this for science programs help make science more interesting for the students and allow the teachers to get the materials they need to teach and inspire future scientists.