IMG_20210513_130134_905

StarStudent_JT

Sprayberry STEM and Georgia Makes PPE Surgical Gowns

IMG_20210513_130134_905

1/30

Bea Gandica is the founder of the Nuevo Foundation who is committed to bringing STEM exposure to all students. Bea is also a program manager at the Microsoft head office

Cierra Smith is a Genetic Technologist focusing in Molecular Genetics. Cierra was part of the team that found the markers needed to create the first PCR tests for COVID-19 in the United States.

Martine Maggi is the senior telescope operator at the University of North Georgia Observatory where she is a Physics major focusing on dark energy and researching the spectra of supernovae.

Ashley Jeter is a Materials and Processing Engineer and Manufacturing Specialist for Lockheed Martin. She is also a member of the Engineering Leadership Development Program

Dr. Goodman is a lead instructor at The Coding School and is passionate about teaching high school students about the potential of Quantum Computing and preparing them for the future of Quantum Sciences.

Katie Kelly and Natalia Bernal are structural engineers focusing in the fields of bridge design and transportation infrastructure. Both women described their different journeys into Civil Engineering and provided internship opportunities for our students.

Dr. Omer Inan is a lead professor at Georgia Tech in biomedical engineering and runs the Inan Research Lab. His work into Musculoskeletal Sound Analysis helped him win an Oscar for technical design of a subminiature lavalier microphone

Sebastian Escobar is a Systems Safety Engineer for the C-130 aircraft transport at Lockheed Martin. Sebastian helped provide prosepctive of professionally working while begining a secondary degree in industrial and systems engineering.

Sarah Fudge is structural mechanical engineer at Lockheed Martin where she works on assembly and construction of stealth aircraft. Sarah spoke with us about the processes that go into actual aircraft manufacturing, but not TOO much as some of her work is in stealth technology.

Bea Gandica is the founder of the Nuevo Foundation who is committed to bringing STEM exposure to all students. Bea is also a program manager at the Microsoft head office

Cierra Smith is a Genetic Technologist focusing in Molecular Genetics. Cierra was part of the team that found the markers needed to create the first PCR tests for COVID-19 in the United States.

Martine Maggi is the senior telescope operator at the University of North Georgia Observatory where she is a Physics major focusing on dark energy and researching the spectra of supernovae.

Ashley Jeter is a Materials and Processing Engineer and Manufacturing Specialist for Lockheed Martin. She is also a member of the Engineering Leadership Development Program

Professional guest speakers from across the country

The STEM academy regularly brings in guest speakers from around the country who are professionals in a wide variety of STEM fields. We think that it is vital for students to hear directly from people working in the field of what the day to day life is of a STEM professional and the steps to take to get there

Plant mars wins international space competition!

STEM academy students competed in the international Plant Mars project against high schools from across the world. Their goal is to grow vegetables in Martian soil (regolith) in order to investigate the best way to maintain crop growth for future habitation of Mars. Their experiment involved using beans growth from a previous Martian regolith experiment in order to grow and harvest second generation beans. This approach was applauded by the research teams at NASA who awarded the students "Most Innovative Design." You can read more about it on the district website here

PLANT MARS! Wins $10,000 grant

Plant Mars is a international competition were students create experimental designs to grow beans in Martian soil. Students work through a semester long growing process were they have the opportunity to collaborate with college professors and NASA researchers. At the end of the growth period students submit a fill scientific report and video to be judged by a panel of international experts. Our students are currently working on genetic acclimation where they take each new generation of bean and grow it in higher ratio Martian soil until they have grown beans that are completely independent of the need for Earth fertilizers. Sprayberry STEM is currently the ONLY school in Cobb County competing in this competition and have been awarded a $10,000 CobbTank grant to continue this unique and ongoing research

Holder Construction Professional learning

The Sprayberry STEM academy is the first high school to team up with Holder Construction (the team behind building Mercedes-Benz stadium) in order to learn how to imagine, design, create, engineer, and ultimately build a mixed-used outdoor classroom here at Sprayberry High School. STEM students have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals who come to the school and teach our students how to use professional engineering and architectural software to create their designs. Students work in small teams which will submit designs for approval with the winning design actually being built on the grounds at Sprayberry High School. From design to construction, true hands-on engineering!

Girls who Code wins $10,000 grant

The Girls Who Code club is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping promote women in computer science fields. Dr. Oldham and the members of the club put together a proposal for CobbTank, an annual event where groups submit proposals to the community members and board of education members in order to receive funding (just like Shark Tank). After getting submitting a video application the club was able to go into the tank and submit their proposal and WON a $10,000 funding grant! The club has been able to buy a full set of laptops, iPads, subscriptions to coding websites, robotics equipment, Raspberry Pis, and interactive bluetooth connectivity building blocks that can be programmed with anything from sound, motion, and light.

Helping the community: assembling face shields

Sprayberry STEM academy has partnered with Atlanta Beats Covid (ABC) a local non-profit organization committed to creating and distributing PPE throughout areas in metro Atlanta including health care facilities and educational institutions. Sprayberry STEM has assembled and distributed over 1,000 face shields to local schools. Students helped analyze the different models of construction to determine the most appropriate designs using laser cutters, silicone molds, and 3D printing.

STEM focused Field Trips

The STEM Scholar academy takes regular field trips that take us to different places that showcase different parts of STEM fields. We have taken the STEM tour at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to learn about the Platinum LEED status and their commitment to environmental sustainability. We did a lesson on infectious diseases and then took a tour of the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. We also have taken a tour of Cobb EMC to learn about engineering and electricity in our community.