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Santa Ana College

Awards - Summer Science & Technology Program

Every year during our Summer Science & Technology Day Program, students take part in a number of activities.  Some of the activities include a web design contest, a bottle rocket launch, a bridge building competition, a model airplane competition and much more.

picture: students in computer classroom  

Web Page

Students design their own web page in the web design class.  They base their page on the activities and topics covered during the program, as well as some of their personal interests.  The web pages are then judged by our staff for design and content. 

 

picture: student project rocket  

Bottle Rockets

Students are given a two-liter soda bottle, some cardboard, string, tape, and some plastic bags with which they construct a rocket with a parachute and a fly-away cone at the top.  The rockets are partially filled with water, placed on a platform with a rubber stopper, and then filled with compressed air. 

The stopper is removed, the water and compressed air rush out, and the rocket is propelled upward.  With any luck, the cone flies away, the parachute opens, and the rocket glides gently to the ground without tangling in any nearby trees.  Rockets are judged on how long they stayed in the air.
 

picture: student at table working on bridge building project
 

Bridge Building

Students construct bridges out of balsa wood and glue.  Bridges are tested by spanning them between two filing cabinets and then attaching a bucket and adding weights. 

The bridges are judged by their weight divided by the amount of load they can hold.  The bridge with the smallest ratio wins.
 

picture: model airplane project  

Model Airplanes

Students construct model airplanes out of balsa wood and rubber bands.  The airplanes are launched and judged by which plane flies the farthest.