New Valley View High Engineering Class is Getting Creative
By Tim McGillivray, Community Writer
October 22, 2014 at 04:51pm. Views: 27
October 22, 2014 at 04:51pm. Views: 27
Alex Lowry is a man with a plan – and he’s passing his plans on to Valley View High’s engineering students.
Lowry’s new class, Introduction to Engineering Design, has met with very positive response since it began at the start of the school year.
“We’re using 3D modeling software, the same stuff that the pros at Raytheon and Hewlett-Packard use,” said Lowry, who has a background in physics and chemistry but has what he calls “quirky” hobbies, like building electric bicycles and geodesic domes.
Lowry, in his second year at VVHS, attended a two-week training conference at Iowa State University over the summer to learn the fundamentals of teaching AutoDesk three-dimensional modeling software. In VVHS’s Introduction to Engineering Design class, students work on projects like designing both simple and complex shapes on the computer and then learning the commands to make them revolve and flip, key elements in the design process.
Lowry said the class is sparking students' creativity. “They enjoy working on the computers, where the software is really intuitive. I show them tutorials and then set them at it. They're coming up with great stuff.”







