The Bridge <![CDATA[The Bridge]]> http://my.hsj.org/Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_zvn4bdz5bckxjx55wakhzw55_94b9b51a-dba7-4215-bc84-89b77656aad2_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:11:51 GMT 15 <![CDATA[Mitchell attends Teams Academy at UMass-Lowell]]> By Frances LeBoeuf

TEAMS Academy
Junior Kelly Mitchell working on her project at UMass Lowell.

Junior Kelly Mitchell gets a taste of the college life during the first two periods of each day, as she attends the U Mass Lowell Teams Academy. Here, students get to explore their love for math and science in a more hands on way. Mitchell applied last year by composing an essay on why she thinks she would qualify for a spot in the program, along with letters of recommendation from her science and math teachers. “Its a lot harder than high school, you get much more work than you do here,” Mitchell said. For the first half of the year Mitchell studied Interactive Robots. It helped her to better understand how robots are built and how to use them. “They were really annoying and difficult to control, but I learned a lot about computer programming which was cool,” Mitchell said. They also got into Bio Technology which focuses on the effects people have on the environment. Students studied waste water treatment and DNA. “The waste water treatment was gross, but the DNA was interesting.” Mitchell said The second half of the year was geared towards Baseball Bat Engineering design. Mitchell was able to show off her skills in math and physics and designed her own baseball bat. She could not use her baseball bat, however, because the fiberglass they used to build it was too fragile. They did get to go to a batting cage and study the physical properties of a baseball bat. To top the year off, Mitchell will be discovering Technology and Electronics where she will learn basic concepts to help people within the community overcome their disabilities. “I want to make something to help someone who really needs it, because I know what it’s like to not get the help I need,” Mitchell says. This year Mitchell will be designing a thermometer for the blind that can be set to indicate when the food reaches a temperature that it can be safely eaten at. The idea for the thermometer was inspired by a friend of Kelly’s named Bee Yang who is blind, and enjoys cooking. “I hope it will make a safer cooking environment for Bee so he will be able to do what he loves,” Mitchell says. Aside from the intense work load, Mitchell does find time to socialize. The class went apple picking last fall and communicate outside of the classroom. “It’s good to have people who hate the class as much as I do,” Mitchell jokes. ]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:57:44 GMT