National Technical Honor Society Inductions

     On March 20, all new members of the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) were inducted. To get into the Honor Society, students are required to have previously taken two technology classes as well as consistently receive a certain GPA and have experience with technology in clubs or outside of school. 

     Throughout the ceremony, our advisor, Joseph Castrogivanni, had several opportunities to speak, as well as a friend of his from STEM, and all of the student board members of the honor society. All new inductees received a certificate, a pin, a NTHS "license" and more. All senior members graduating this year received a NTHS honor cord to wear at graduation. Below are pictures from the inductions:

     The ceremony was very exciting for all new members who received the special honor to be in the NTHS. They will all continue their success and improvements throughout their remaining years in high school. We wish the best of luck to all of the seniors who are graduating and leaving us this year and thank them for all the improvements and differences made in the society.

~Ashley

Bridge Contest Day!

     March 16 was the day all students were waiting for; The Brookhaven National Lab Bridge Building Contest. Students had previously worked very hard on the construction and design of their bridges all in preparation for this day. Though some people may think this contest is very easy, it is not. There are many requirements and specifications needed to get into the contest. The website below lists all of the specifications:

http://www.bnl.gov/education/static/bridge/linkableFiles/pdf/2013-BNL-MODEL-BRIDGE-SPECIFICATIONSrev112112.pdf 

     Overall, Commack did very well in the contest. Unfortunately, the strongest Commack bridge, built by Evan Kirshen, was disqualified. Weighing 15. 42 grams, Evan's bridge held a load of 79.3, creating an efficiency of 2332.677, which was greater than the winning efficiency (1954.172363). The reason for Evan's disqualification was due to the fact that there needed to be a 3/8 inch hole through the bridge at each of the three loading positions. The hole is not used at the BNL contest nor at the school, however it is used by some locations making it a requirement. It was not a very clear requirement in the specifications, therefore we will be sure to never forget that key point. Additionally, even if Evan had added the space, the weight of his bridge might have slightly increased but his bridge would be just as strong making his the strongest if not one of the strongest. Below is a picture of Evan's successful bridge:

    Fortunately, the other Commack students did very well in addition to Evan's success. Patchogue Medford still took the top spots, however Evan's bridge did surprise everyone. We will be back next year to give all the participants a run for their money. Thanks for reading! 

~Ashley

Busy Bridge Building

     Students were very excited to hear it was that time of year again! The Brookhaven National Lab Bridge Building Contest was coming up. Students taking Creative Design and Drawing (CDD) were all eligible to participate in the contest as well as any other additional students. In the class, each student was required to have an AutoCAD drawing of their bridge design as well as a man-made bridge to break in class or for the contest. All of the kids spent about a month in class working on the project as well as any additional time they put in. Here are the pictures of the student's processes:

~Ashley