On Friday, April 11, 2014, over 40 high students from C-STEM partner schools, Woodland High School and Pioneer High School in Woodland and Military Charter School in Oakland were introduced to the principles behind semiconductors and 3D CAD modeling in Solidworks at the C-STEM Center.
In the morning, the students were exposed to semiconductors and digital logic gates. Basic hand calculators were used for the demonstration and the students learned how
combining different binary input combinations produces the desired output when passed through different boolean logic gates. A large mat which simulated the steps necessary for a computer to add two numbers allowed students to become a human calculator. They formed two teams and competed against each other to see who could complete the calculations quickest.
After lunch, each student was given access to a computer with Solidworks. Three instructors explained a thorough robotics introduction, conducted a step-by-step
Solidworks CAD tutorial, and then allowed them to experiment with their own creativity using the software. The CAD tutorial used the linkbot wheel as the example to show the students how to make a 2D sketch and convert it into a 3D object and add or subtract sections of material. The tutorial reviewed a myriad of basic Solidworks
functions and we let them loose to use those tools to carve their names into the wheels.
At the end of the event, each student was presented with a certificate of completion as they underwent the graduation ceremony.
