43
YSU shows off STEM success
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Moser Hall was the site of marvelous gadgets Saturday, all created by Youngstown State University students.
There were wind tunnels and cars and lasers and concrete canoes.
Yes. A boat made of concrete that actually floats in water.
They were created by students in the university’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — STEM for short, and they were displaying their projects for prospective students and community members as part of a tour of the new Center for Innovation in Additive Manufacturing.
Dominic DiVencenzo, a senior at Cardinal Mooney High School who will be an engineering major at YSU when he enrolls this fall, said he was impressed, especially with the wide variety of projects in many disciplines.
“It’s a really good experience,” DiVencenzo said.
Aurora Fares of Canfield, 11, was there after she attended a Women In Science program at the university. She said she is interested in a career in science when she gets older and wanted to see what the STEM program has to offer.
Dr. Daniel Suchora, a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, said planning for the event began just after Christmas. The college of engineering has had a tour for the last 10 years but it was extended when the STEM College came into existence. STEM has taken part for the last five years.
One of the main objectives for the students during the tour was to display their own work to friends, family members and the community, Suchora said.
“They want to show what they have done,” Suchora said.
He said the event is valuable because it allows the Mahoning Valley to see the innovation practiced by STEM students.
“People in Youngstown don’t know what’s going on here in a lot of ways, and this is a good outreach,” Suchora said.
Just yards away from Suchora, Nick Buffa of Boardman and Patrick Hyden of Girard were showing off a laser engraver they made as part of a six-member team. They created a system in which images are uploaded to a computer program that communicates with a laser system to engrave the image. Hyden said all members of the team are interested in laser technology.
“We’re fascinated by lasers, and we wanted to incorporate that into our project,” Hyden said.
The pair said they built the laser system out of spare parts of other projects and also learned some painful lessons before they finished because they ruined two lasers, which cost about $90.
“You learn the whole process,” Buffa said.
Outside, Taylor Simcox of Struthers was with her team that built a concrete canoe christened “Fieramante,” which placed third in a recent competition. The secrets to a concrete boat floating are that it displaces more water than it weighs and is made of a form of concrete that is not as heavy as common concrete, Simcox said.
In a competition in March, the canoe placed third, Simcox said.
As for rowing a concrete canoe, Alex Lincoln of Magnolia said it was hard starting out.
“Once I figured it out, it was like riding a bike,” Lincoln said.