Special Projects Week Makes for a Special Week at ASMS

ASMS offers students the opportunity to forge their own academic path. The school's annual Special Projects Week is a significant example of such an opportunity. Each year students take a 1-week break from their regularly scheduled course load to participate in a class with a special topic. During this time, students and teachers delve into a specific area of learning that interests them. They may explore a new academic area, learn a new skill, make scientific discoveries, learn a new language, and/or engage in the community!

Check out this year's Special Projects Week class titles:

A Day at the Beach (4 Million Years Ago) 
/ Introduction to Flight 
/ Chemistry of Color 
 / Learning Physics From Sports 
/ The Science of Science Fiction Cinema / Urban Studies: Is Mobile an Inclusive and Sustainable City? 
 / An Introduction to 3D Printing and Design 
 / The Family in the American Sitcom 
 / Habitat for Humanity / Mathematical Origami
 / Making The Cut: Material Science and Design 
/ Tabletop Game Design Workshop 
 / Computing Camp / Crafts and Culture of Mexico
 / Using the LaTeX Typesetting System to Create Well-Formatted Mathematical and Scientific Texts
 / Exploring the Moo Do Way: The History of Martial Arts / United States History in Film
 / Latin American Culture Through Cinema 
 / Let’s Play T20 Cricket 
 / Osprey Initiative 
 / Knitting for Beginners, Yarns and Fabrics

Special Projects Week always makes for a very special week at ASMS. Here's an example from Physics Instructor Dr. Irby where one of his students was actually able to help teach the class!

One of my students in my Special Project class, Skip Postle, already has his Private Pilot License. On Wednesday morning, I started teaching students using our Flight Simulator. Skip asked if he could teach and help a student to land using the simulator. I said yes.

Skip did so well, I let him teach other students, while freeing me up to show videos and ATC transmissions on big screen for others waiting for their turn.

Skip also has extensive time on a simulator like ours, and helped me adjust settings (computer settings) which helped make the simulator work better.

This morning Skip came in 30 minutes earlier and I suggested we have students fly soley on instruments. We set it up where with clouds and fog you cannot see the ground much less the runway. Students had to land using the ILS (Instrument Landing System) where you suddenly "pop" out of the clouds at about 200 feet above and aligned on runway.

It was the first time I have tried this with students. 12 students landed successfully and one had to do a go around.

They all learned about what it is like, nerve racking, trying to land on instruments only. A big kudos to Skip!