This is a particular favorite of middle school students who have a great time creating a car from the ground up. His students now use CAD to design their dragster and then continue on to build the car from their own computer design. The car is made out of wood and has metal wheels. Students are able to build something utilizing their talent and creativity that is both functional and innovative. For a little added excitement, Dr. Baier sets up a race at the end of each project.
Students get to race their dragster against the other cars in the class.
This gives all students, male and female, a chance to be introduced to Industrial Education and the Tech Lab. It is important that these students have tangible results in order to give them a feeling of success about their efforts. The use of the lab shows that they are creative and intelligent enough to master this technological base. Most of the student projects in Industrial Ed. require working with wood. The students get to leave the class with tangible objects they have made themselves.