?A sense of real engineering?

The fifth graders from Lead-Deadwood Elementary School sit in small groups on the floor or around tables concentrating on the makeshift hoists they are building. Using limited supplies, each group designs a ?working hoist? then tests it. The varying results show different levels of creativity and different ways to resolve challenges. 

Peyton Reller really liked the project. ?It?s like a puzzle,? she said. ?We have to figure out what to do with the supplies we get and then we try a lot of things to make the hoist work.? Her classmate Domenic Lucero nodded in agreement. ?We get to create our own shaft and hoist. It teaches us skills and stuff,? he said. Peyton and Domenic are the children of Infrastructure Technicians Fritz Reller and Derek Lucero, respectively. 

In a one-week period, E&O hosted nearly 300 students from schools in Spearfish, Rapid City and Lead, S.D.; North Dakota; and Iowa. Students get an overview of the lab, go on tours of the hoist room and water treatment plant, participate in hands-on activities and take the engineering challenge. ?These visits give them a sense of what real science and engineering are all about,? said Deputy Director E&O Peggy Norris. 

Amy VandeVelde, a teacher, said one of the things they studied this year is the pulley system. The hoist challenge helps students understand the practical application of pulleys, she said. ?And it?s a wonderful way to wrap up the science year.? 

?Ultimately, these activities generate knowledge about education and outreach that might be useful at other scientific research facilities,? said E&O Director Ben Sayler.

To complete the experience, the fifth graders don hard hats to inspect the Yates Shaft and Hoist Room. At the Ramp, Peyton Reller finds a note from her father. ?Hi Peyton. Love you,? it said. She smiled, posed for a picture and wrote ?Hi Dad. Have a good day!? under the message.