Back to School: Cardboard Challenge!

With the official kick-off to the school year, the Science Mill is excited to be shifting our efforts from Summer programs delivery to supporting our educators across the state with programs and field trips both here at the Science Mill and remotely through our offsite offerings.  The Science Mill is your go-to resource for STEM education and Career Readiness programs and activities developed by educators to make your deployment as easy as possible. Our unique approach to programming means we are not just here to provide you with content and equipment but will support you along the way with deployment and training.  We know you do so much for our students, and we are here to support you. Please think of the Science Mill as your partner in education, and don't hesitate to reach out to us at any time with questions.  We want to wish you a great school year!  

- Peter Claffey, Science Mill CEO

Starting this month - our Science Corner Blog will bring exciting news from the STEM world, along with content you can use in your classroom - at home or at school - to further inspire students’ curiosity and give them the confidence, tools and support they need to reach their full potential as a skilled member in the 21st-century STEM workforce. Follow along each month as we explore a different STEM topic.

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LET’S TALK ABOUT: THE WONDERS OF CARDBOARD

What’s not to love about cardboard? What starts as a seemingly simple vessel for delivering your latest online purchase - can be transformed into a city skyline, a maze, a costume, or the age-old favorite - a fort. All this is accomplished with minimal investment - just a few supplies and your imagination!

Cardboard is such an amazing tool - that we are dedicating an ENTIRE WEEKEND to Cardboard in our Labor Day Cardboard Challenge. Join us at the Science Mill as we guide you in how to use a variety of tools and techniques to turn this extraordinarily ordinary material into your own city block - complete with electricity! Click graphic below for more information.

Keep scrolling to see how one Whiz Kid turned his love of cardboard and Transformers movies into a museum-worthy costume exhibit. And then how you can use cardboard to create a twisty-turny maze and teach your students about Newton’s Laws of Motion. Be sure to join us at our Labor Day Cardboard Challenge - Saturday through Monday, September 3-5.

Meet Gavin!

He is not your typical 17-year-old, as he has taken his admiration for the Transformers movies to all new heights, literally!  Gavin designs and builds larger than life cardboard transformers suits. He sat down with the Science Mill team to tell us how he got started in making!

Tell me about your journey in making with cardboard. Where did you start and how have you grown? I started with cardboard because it was (and continues to be) quite plentiful in my house and is also very easy to manipulate. I started with an easy Autobot, Prowl, with a simple transformation sequence, holding it together with pipe cleaners and duct tape… Obviously, there have been quite a few changes from a Prowl to an eight-foot Optimus Prime!

How did you get started making? For as long as I can remember, I have loved engineering. Now, for my starting years, I use the term “engineering” very loosely. I started with a handful of Lego bricks and a lot of enthusiasm. I have to give a huge plug for my parents here who encouraged me to keep being creative and to keep making more. Without their nod of approval, I might not have ever built anything well, much less pursued it as an art and skill.

Are there STEM related careers you are interested in? The degree that I am most interested in at the moment is called Industrial and Innovative Design. It is essentially a combination of mechanical engineering, graphic design, and product marketing, providing a realistic study for a creative calling that prepares students for an occupation in invention.

What is something people might not know about the process of creating your suits? My most recent Optimus Prime is the fourth Optimus Prime suit that I have built. It took three other Optimus Primes, one Bumblebee, and one Prowl, to get to where I am now. Time and time again, my costumes have been less than what I’ve hoped for. This process includes one trial after another to improve the art and make whatever character I seek to imitate really come to life.

What would you say right now to your 10-year-old self? Keep trying to find a way. Necessity is the mother of invention, so to improve your skills, set high goals, and then figure out how to reach them. Be willing to try again and again until you reach that goal, and through practice your skill will improve.

Tell us about your favorite teacher or mentor. I am homeschooled, so, quite obviously and undeniably, my favorite teacher is my Mom. I have had other teachers in co-ops or online classes, but she blows every one of them out of the water. She taught me by example how to make and be creative, and how to cultivate the gifts that God has given me. Sorry-not-sorry, I have the best Mom ever. It’s not even a competition. She takes time for me and each of my four siblings which is absolutely incredible, but makes each one of us feel valued and loved in the midst of our crazy lives. She comforts us and builds us up academically and spiritually, and her impact on my life cannot be calculated by minutes and hours, but by the intentionality that she puts into every moment. She is the best!

Quick Thoughts from Gavin: Creative invention is vital, and every single person should practice it to some extent. It could be something STEM related, with cardboard or metal or wood, or it could be something more akin to the arts like writing or painting or music, or something entirely different, but every human has a responsibility from God to create, and it is unhealthy to quell that to say the least. In addition, it is just such a joy to make, that a lack of creativity should not be a problem in the first place!

See Gavin at the Mill!

Saturday, September 3rd during our Labor Day Cardboard Challenge!

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Marble Maze Challenge

Use Cardboard in the classroom to create a twisty-turny labyrinth maze to race your marble to the finish line.

Students will use cardboard, straws, pipe cleaners and other materials to design a unique maze run that their marble can successfully navigate. This is a great activity to introduce the law of conservation of energy and energy transformations. 

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The Science Mill is your resource for STEM education all year long - visit our website to schedule field trips, SCI-Camps, After-School Clubs, Labs on the Go, and professional development.

Deep Sea Robotics: Behind the scenes of our new exhibit!

Explore a world seven miles underwater with Deep Sea Robotics, the Science Mill’s newest exhibit! Guide the robotic drone over and around the jagged rocks of a deep ocean trench using a dual-toggle controller. A monitor shows you the drone’s point of view; adjust its camera to peer inside a bubbling hot-spring vent and other surprising features. Deep Sea Robotics is newly open this summer and found only at the Science Mill. “This exhibit was developed and designed entirely in-house by the Science Mill’s team,” says Peter Claffey, Science Mill CEO. “It’s an ambitious concept, at the level of a major national museum like the Smithsonian, and I think visitors are going to be amazed by what our team has created.”

Lots of planning goes into every exhibit long before it appears in the museum; Bradley Gray, the Museum Experience Manager, explains the process. “Sparking curiosity is key to all Science Mill exhibits, so we often start by asking what topics we’re curious about. What makes us say ‘wow?’ When one team member shared his interest in drones—especially underwater drones—it immediately captured everyone’s imagination. What if visitors could operate a drone in a giant tank of water?!”

The team was excited for the possibilities, but needed to plan how it would work. “We first thought about putting a shipping container in the Science & Art Park and making it watertight,” says Bradley. “But it turned out that would take a lot of industrial welding.” Back to the drawing board, with a focus on materials already at the Mill. The museum’s rainwater storage tank seemed like the perfect fit. Could they put a drone inside and add a window for people to see? The team gathered feedback from storage tank experts and aquarium glass designers. Turns out, with that much water, even the movement of a small drone would create too much hydrostatic pressure; the tank would need major reinforcing. And adding a window would increase risk of algae outbreaks. New plan! One of the Mill’s silos would be strong enough…but all were already in use. “Finally, we looked around and realized Studio 5 had what we needed. It’s a round room, just the right size for an above-ground pool,” says Bradley.

Planning out the exhibit space

But what pool? A little research revealed that the portable storage pools used to fight forest fires would work well. With wildfire season, however, the pools were in high demand. So, the hunt continued until Bradley found just the right pool—one that already had a built-in observation window! With a 16-foot diameter, the pool holds 6,000 gallons of water. After adding four layers of leak protection, they were able to successfully fill it up inside the museum. “I think that was the moment we realized, yes, we could really do this!”

Now it was time to test out underwater drones. The team selected a 14-inch-long robotic drone that can travel at eight knots (roughly 9 miles per hour). “Driving the drone for the first time, I realized just how unique this experience is. Being able to move in three dimensions through the water—not just forward and backwards, but up and down at different depths—adds so much,” explains Bradley. “Pretty soon, we were all trying out spins and tricks!”

Testing out the underwater robotic drone

With that in mind, the team worked to refine the experience inside the pool. What could visitors do, explore, test and discover? How could they make the most of the drone’s movements, but keep its tether line from getting tangled? Brainstorm ideas included an underwater obstacle course made of PVC pipes and a mission to uncover treasure from a sunken ship.

Bradley’s topographic sketch

Ultimately, inspiration came from a Science Mill talk by former NASA manager Julie Webster. “Julie noted that more people have been to the moon than have visited the deepest parts of the ocean. That got us interested in the Mariana Trench and Challenger Deep, the deepest spot.” Bradley knew they had hit on an idea that played to the team’s strengths. With expertise in lighting, pumps, and fabrication (including his own background in theater set design), they could recreate the rocky terrain and steaming vents of a deep ocean trench for guests to freely explore. “I started with a massive cardboard circle and mapped out a topographic view to help share the idea with others, then drafted a 3D computer model,” describes Bradley. “We built the main structure with foam concrete, which allows us to carve out the rock formations.”

Preparing the carved foam concrete terrain

Finally, a crucial step: testing out the exhibit with visitors. “When you visit the Mill, you might find us testing something new,” says Bradley. “It’s a chance for technical troubleshooting and, more importantly, for the team to learn from visitors. What’s exciting to them? What questions do they have? Are there things we could change or add to make the experience even better? With the drones, it was so cool to see how quickly visitors got the hang of the controller and POV monitor—it was kind of like a video game come to life.”

A “drone’s-eye” view on the monitor

As the team had hoped, the experience sparked curiosity. “Lots of visitors didn’t know deep ocean trenches existed! They loved learning about the hydrothermal vents and had lots of great questions to discover more.”

Now officially open, Science Mill staff will be at the exhibit to assist visitors and chat with them about deep ocean exploration and robotic drone technology—including related STEM careers. “When kids pilot the drone, they’re trying out an in-demand STEM career,” says Jeff Wheatcraft, Director of STEM Education Growth. “Underwater drones will soon be used to inspect dams, ships and offshore oil rigs, make underwater repairs, and help keep submarines safe from mines.” The exhibit experience serves as a springboard for exploring a variety of STEM fields as well. “You can use this exhibit to explore geology, tectonic activity, sea life adaptations, topographic map-making, robotics, designing materials to withstand extreme environments—the list goes on.” It’s an ocean of possibilities; come dive in with Deep Sea Robotics!

Summer love: Spark kids’ interest in STEM!

Little League, fishing, theater camp—for kids, summer can be a time to enjoy hobbies and explore new interests. In the Science Mill’s work with STEM professionals, we often hear how these childhood passions inspired later career choices. In fact, that idea helps shape the Science Mill’s exhibits: we create fun, hands-on experiences with authentic tools and real-world challenges that let kids step into different STEM careers. Think of your museum visit as a STEM career sampler! Botanists, programmers, astronauts—who will your kids be? Come see what sparks curiosity. Whether it becomes this summer’s obsession or the start of something bigger, the Science Mill has resources to help you nurture their interests. We’ve put together a list below of some favorite exhibits and paired them with STEM activities to support further exploration after your visit. And don’t hesitate to contact our Education team for more ideas! You can also find STEM activity kits and books in the Mill’s Science Store, onsite and online.

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Fossil Dig / Jurassic Flight 4D / Dinosaurs of Antarctica

Spark an interest in: geology, paleontology

This dino-mite trio is a must-do for many visitors. In the outdoor Fossil Dig exhibit, kids become paleontologists as they use shovels and brushes to uncover fossil replicas and try to identify the prehistoric creatures they’ve unearthed. From hands-on to high-tech, Jurassic Flight 4D combines richly detailed virtual reality and a full-body motion board to create the seamless sensation of soaring through a world of dinosaurs. Stop by the front desk to sign up for your flight; Jurassic Flight 4D is now located in Studio 2. (And something *NEW* is coming in its former spot soon!) Our current science movie, Dinosaurs of Antarctica, takes kids to Earth’s coldest continent as part of a team of scientists on a quest to uncover the amazing animals that lived there hundreds of millions of years ago. June is the last month to catch this special feature! While all these experiences fuel kids’ interest in dinosaurs, they also introduce geology, environmental science, and Earth systems. CGI recreations and 4D experience showcase biomechanics, computer programming, and the intersection of art with STEM.

Take it further: Explore the prehistoric Hill Country

Pair your museum visit with a family road trip that explores the geological history of the Hill Country. Numerous state parks are just a short drive from the Science Mill. Kids age seven and up can hunt for real fossils and dinosaur tracks on the Canyon Lake Gorge Tour, or stop at the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country for fossil exhibits and model dinosaurs.

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Incredible Ball Machine / Race Track /
Sailboats / Wind Turbine Test Bed

Spark an interest in: physics, engineering

These are just a few of the Science Mill exhibits where kids can experiment with energy and motion. The one-of-a-kind Incredible Ball Machine seems like a madcap mini roller coaster, but look closely to spot pulleys, levers and other simple machines you can control. Try to predict the path each ball with take! At the Race Track, design, build and test drive a custom car that combines the basics of mechanical and electrical engineering. Wind power gets things moving at the Wind Turbine Test Bed and Sailboats exhibits. Try out different combinations to see what makes things move farther or faster—you’ll be problem-solving like engineers, mechanics, renewable energy technicians, and physicists!

Take it further: Rube Goldberg Challenge & more ways to tinker

Take inspiration from Rube Goldberg—a cartoonist known for drawing elaborate machines designed to do simple, silly tasks—and set up your own crazy contraption using everyday items. Check out our Explorer Zone feature for examples and additional activities. Or, compete in the Simple Machines Olympics!

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Critter Bots / Colossal Robotic Hand / Go with the Flow

Spark an interest in: computer science, robotics

Hooves stamp, claws dig and rattles shake when you bring the Critter Bots to life with the basics of coding. Stack digital blocks—each with a simple instruction like “move head up,” “repeat 2x,” “wait 3 seconds”—to build a custom program. At the Colossal Robotic Hand, the see-through controller lets you peek at potentiometers and circuitry as you send an “extra high” five. Think like a programmer: what sequence of moves would you have the hand follow to take on a new pose? (Hint: we had to program the hand to make sure joints move in sequence and fingers don’t bang into the thumb.) For a closer look at circuits, the Go with the Flow exhibit lets you experiment with the flow of alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electricity.

 Take it further: Coding apps, robotics & “offline” programming

Scratch and Hopscotch are two free programming platforms where kids can experiment with the basics of coding to play and create games, animated stories and more. Visit our blog for teen-approved tips for getting started with programming and robotics. Concerned about screen time? Build problem-solving skills offline using the Engineering Design Process or creating a paper prototype robotic hand.

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Masters of Disguise / Virtual Body Table /
Aquaponics Greenhouse / Chemical Reactions

Spark an interest in: biology & life science, chemistry

In the Masters of Disguise exhibit, take a closer look at animals that blend in, stand out, confuse the eye or hide in plain sight. How might scientists, inventors and designers draw inspiration from these wild adaptations? Brainstorm ideas throughout the exhibit! Be sure to check out the other hands-on experiences in the BioLab as well. The Virtual Body Table lets you look at how bodies work, inside and out, thanks to 3D models created from CT scans. From body systems to ecosystems, find out how we grow plants without soil in the Aquaponics Greenhouse, which combines hydroponics (growing plants in water) and aquaculture (raising fish). While lush plants take the spotlight, it’s a chemical cycle behind the scenes that keeps things growing. You can explore more chemistry at the Chemical Reactions exhibit, an interactive touchscreen where you can digitally experiment with nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and other “building blocks of life.”  

Take it further: DIY hydroponics & citizen science projects

The Explorer Zone has instructions for growing your own plants without soil; if your family is really inspired, we also have tips for setting up a full aquaponics system! Spend time observing wildlife in your backyard (or one of the state parks we mentioned earlier) and use the iNaturalist app to identify what you find. You’ll also find nationwide projects where you can join other citizens in sharing observations that aid scientists.  

Meet the teens behind the bots

The Science Mill is thrilled to have members of The Spring Konstant, a FIRST Robotics Competition Team at Dripping Springs High School, join us for Robotics Day on May 14! We chatted with four teammates—sophomore Alexa and freshmen Gavin, Shaun, and Marshall—who shared their experiences and advice for kids interested in trying robotics.

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Balls fly toward hoops as the crowd cheers, players dodging each other to line up shots. Fans hold their breath as competitors try to grab a bar high above before the clock ticks down. Welcome to the world of FIRST Robotics Competition, where teams of teens design, build and operate custom robots to take on challenging tasks.

Gavin witnessed the excitement of a FIRST Robotics Competition when his older sister participated. “It was intense and complex; I was already interested in STEM and I knew I wanted to have that experience, too.” As a 4th or 5th grader, Shaun also saw a competition and was fascinated. “I thought, ‘The second I’m in high school, I’m doing that!’ I remember seeing this wild set up with an Xbox controller and a mass of wiring and wondering what was going on. Looking back, it now makes sense to me how that would all go together.” For Marshall, joining the robotics team built on his childhood love of LEGO engineering sets. “It was a new outlet to tap that interest and apply engineering skills to real world problems.”

Alexa’s reaction to robotics competitions was a little different. “I thought it was nerdy!” she confesses with a laugh. She first learned about the program from her cousins, but a computer science teacher encouraged her to give it a second look. “I had this idea that you had to be super smart in STEM to do robotics. Really, it’s about working hard and having a positive mindset to take on new challenges.”

All four teens emphasize that you do NOT need a background in engineering or programming to join a robotics team. The season starts with rapid prototyping sessions and clinics to build skills in five key areas: electronics; tools/hardware; programming/software; computer-aided design (CAD), which allows them to create their robot virtually and send out specs to manufacture custom parts; and business, which includes developing pitch presentations and securing sponsors. Later, different schools meet up for team-to-team coaching clinics. “Sometimes it’s just easier to understand things from a peer,” the teens note. By the end of the training period, everyone has earned an OSHA certification—after all, they’ll be the ones running a workshop full of serious fabrication tools once the big build starts.

The official kick-off event in January reveals that year’s game from FIRST. This includes the layout of the playing arena, tasks the robots will be required to complete, possible points teams can earn for different tasks, and restrictions they’ll need to follow. For the 2021-22 season, robots needed to shoot balls into a hoop that is 8 ft. 8in. high and climb up a set of vertical bars, the tallest at 7 ft. 7in. Robots could weigh up to 120 pounds and be a maximum 4 ft. 6 in. tall at the start of a match, with no parts more than 16 in. past the base—a restriction that meant any “arms” for the climbing challenge had to be fully retractable.

How each team decides to interpret the requirements is part of the game. “There are lots of ways to solve the same problem. Crazy ideas can be solutions and it’s fun to surprise everyone with stuff you never thought robots could do,” says Shaun. For instance, do you turn your robot to shoot a ball or design a rotating turret to shoot from any position? Have a human operator line up shots or use a computer-guided system to calculate distance, speed, and angle? Build an extra-speedy intake to scoop up multiple balls? Create a catapult to hit the higher hoop that’s worth more points? One team this season wowed everyone with a robot that sprang straight to the highest (and highest scoring) rung in the climb challenge.

Even when a wild idea works, it might not make the final cut. “At the start of the season, our team split into groups to work on different tasks,” Alexa explains. “While the independent parts were good, we discovered later they didn’t go together.” The team realized they needed to improve their communication for a successful season. “You’re all working on one problem—how to build this robot—and you have to solve it with collaboration,” adds Marshall. “It makes you realize that, outside of robotics, you can meet other problems better with collaboration, too.”

Collaboration and communication play a crucial role in the competition as well, thanks to FIRST Robotic’s unique 3-on-3 game play: any three robots can be put together at random to face off against three others. “So even though it’s a competition, it's not about rivalry; it’s alliances and you really work with everyone,” says Alexa. Teams have just 10 minutes to talk through their bots’ strengths and weaknesses and agree on a strategy to rack up points. For example, one robot might need to play defense, while another robot focuses on scoring hoops. To earn ranking points, which qualify teams for state and world competitions, at least two of the group’s three robots had to successfully climb. “You literally can’t do it alone,” Gavin emphasizes. “Our mentor Dr. E [a local software engineer for Intel] likes to say it’s not about being the best team or having the best robot. It’s about the team spirit and the experience you get participating in the whole process.”

Watch Spring Konstant and their Red Alliance in a 3-on-3 match

Along with team building and meeting new people, the teen’s favorite parts of robotics are also some of the most challenging. “Nothing goes right the first time!” they joke. “You think something will go together so well…and it doesn’t,” shares Shaun. “You solve one problem, and it just creates more issues with the next step.” But they agree this makes it even more satisfying when things do finally work. Gavin and Marshall look back fondly now on the frustration of taking apart the robot’s gearbox ten times. Alexa recalls the triumph of cracking the trigonometry behind a bar-skipping climb. Being part of robotics has pushed them all to try new things that go beyond circuits and code, including developing their identities as leaders. Through outreach events like Robotics Day at the Science Mill, the team introduces younger kids to engineering and programming concepts.

What comes after the robotics team? Shaun is interested in aerospace engineering, while Marshall is intrigued by microchips and may pursue electrical engineering. Robotics has helped Alexa realize how her knack for programming could amplify her passion for health science, perhaps developing software for medical machinery. Gavin thinks he’ll likely go into engineering, but is quick to point out that their experiences on the team go beyond that. “You don’t need to do engineering as a career to benefit from robotics; STEM skills are needed in any job, to help you look at things in new ways.”

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