At the very beginning of the class, Mr. Cates talked to the class about the Conrad Foundation and Science Cafes, encouraging the students to pursue more science related activities. Then Dr. Rhett Davis from NC State began his presentation. He first introduced himself and his job of designing computer chips in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He then explained the activities for the day: the students were to build a small circuit on a little circuit board. Dr. Davis began explaining the jobs of engineers: to study the forces of nature and apply them to do useful things. To help make the explanation easier, Dr. Davis used an analogy. He compared a circuit to a waterwheel. He talked about various aspects of the waterwheel and explained what they represented in the analogy. He then used the analogy to introduce new terminology such as electrical potential (the height of the water) and current (the flow of the river). He then distributed the circuit kits. Students were than told to blow through two straws with different widths to explore the restriction of the air through the tubes to illustrate a similar concept with the flow of energy through wires. Dr. Davis then explained what various pieces in the kit were and gave some fundamental warnings (black wire + red wire = bad idea!). The first task of the students was to light up one small bulb. The students were able to figure out how to create this simple circuit with a diagram they were given and the knowledge they had learned from Dr. Davis. After this first simple circuit, Dr. Davis explained more complicated concepts and the students went on to create a more complex circuit that had a flashing bulb. Again, the students were given the opportunity to figure it out by themselves, while teachers circled the room to offer assistance if necessary.
Later, Dr. Davis explained the differences between Analog v. Digital, and talked about more complex circuits. The students were allowed to experiment with an online applet that demonstrated the concepts they were learning about. After detailed explanations, students once again set to work attempting to create a more complex circuit, incorporating their previous creations. Once again, teachers helped students whose circuits werenât working. Students who finished helped others as well. By the end of the class, each student had completed a circuit that used 4 small lights to count in binary. Each student took their circuit home.