UNIVERSITY AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – ACES

March 27-28, 2024

In late March, Jeffrey Morris traveled to Blaine, Minnesota to visit University Avenue Elementary School – ACES. The school is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) magnet school with unique emphases on Aerospace, Children’s Engineering, and Science (ACES). What better place to engage young minds with a special project Jeffrey had planned.

The first day was spent with the entire 5th grade class discussing space travel and space craft. Jeffrey combined his experience in science education with his passion for Science Fiction to keep the students engaged and excited. Utilizing models, still photos, and video clips, Jeffrey talked with the students about his career and some of his favorite space vehicles. He also introduced the students to SPACE: 1999 and the Eagle.

For the second day, Jeffrey met with a smaller core group of 5th graders to begin challenging the kids to figure out how to build a real Eagle. Comparing the Eagle to the real Apollo Lunar Module, he helped them understand basic principles of flight in space. Jeffrey and the students worked with Eagle models, diagrams, and clips from Space: 1999 to better understand the Eagle. He then challenged the kids to create their version of an Eagle that could really fly.

We will return to the school in a few weeks to see what this group of young engineers creates.