On Friday, November 8, NASA representatives visited The Portage School of Leaders in South Bend to tour the facility, marking the start of a partnership between NASA, the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory (NDTL), and the Career Academy Network of Public Schools (CANoPS). This collaboration aims to build quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft engines.
While NDTL has collaborated with NASA on this research for several years, this is the first time the partnership has extended to high school students at CANoPS. The students will be contributing to NASA’s open fan engine research by creating 3D-printed stator vanes that will be used on an Advanced Noise Control Fan testing model by University of Notre Dame students.
When the opportunity to collaborate with CANoPS was brought to NASA’s attention, they were eager to embrace the partnership.
“We were impressed with the quality of the materials that they made for our test articles, and we immediately knew that this is something we want to pursue,” Dan Sutliff, a researcher from NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, said.
During the visit, NASA representatives toured the school’s engineering room, machine shop, and other classrooms, where students and teachers showcased several different opportunities their school has to offer such as dual credit courses, robotics, and entrepreneurship.
CANoPS Superintendent Jeremy Lugbill recognizes the value of inviting professionals to the school to interact with students.
"It's such an exciting opportunity for students to hear directly from real NASA engineers who are out there doing this kind of work,” Lugbill said. “We believe students should be exposed to career options at an early age. It's important to introduce students to a variety of career paths and allow industry professionals to speak with them and answer questions."
Following the tour, NASA representatives sat down with students to answer questions, creating a positive dialog between the present and future of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Sutliff was excited about students’ confidence and passion for their work.
“After talking with the students and listening to them describe what they're doing, I was so impressed,” Sutliff said. “We can teach hard skills, but teaching them how to communicate, describe their work, and be passionate is something else entirely. The fact that they can communicate one-on-one with NASA, provide us with capabilities that we don't have, and even teach us things is just phenomenal.”
For students, this experience gave insight into the possibilities of a future STEM career. According to Lugbill, the visit has already left a deep impact.
“I know our students noticed the passion that the NASA engineers brought today,” Lugbill said. “Sometimes, it only takes one conversation or experience like this to completely change the trajectory of a young person's path.”
This collaboration between NASA, NDTL, and CANoPS is just the beginning. As CANoPS students contribute to this real-world project, they’ll one day be able to look at the finished product and know that they had a part in bringing it to life.
“Anytime high school students can see their work in real life, it creates meaning and relevance in their brains,” Lugbill said. “Our students will never forget today.”
To learn more about the Career Academy Network of Public Schools, visit careeracademysb.com.