"Today, the students are testing out their own steam engines," said Gerald Bruman, engineering instructor at the high school.
Students during the school's second and third block engineering class had an opportunity to build small-scale steam engines, then test each to find the ideal model.
"We get a kit with 28 different parts," said Johnathan Saunders, a 17-year-old junior who was running a relatively slow engine. "Part of our requirements are to name each part and know what they're used for."
As the old saying goes, "slow and steady wins the race," or, outlives the others, rather; and Saunders, along with 19-year-old senor Cameren Callahan kept their engine slow.
"It's about understanding the principals of steam engines and comparing different engines," Callahan said.
According to their instructor, the slower the engine, the longer it will last.
"You don't want to wear out all the bearings," Bruman said. "It's like driving a car. Would you rather floor it, or run it at normal speed? Normal speed would be the most ideal."
Using a tachometer, the students measured the slowest and fastest steam engines.
"The measurements are based on the pressure that's exerted and how it builds," Bruman said, explaining that the water is turned into the steam energy source and reaches a certain pressure, which is then expanded through the apparatus.
Bruman began the "reverse engineering" lesson about a week and ½ ago with a video presentation about steam engines in the 1700s.
"I had the students compare today's steam engines to the ones of the past," Bruman said. "Then we learn how the engine is powered and what makes it run."
Bruman is in his 11th year as a Millville educator, and teaches the steam engine lesson to 23 students total, spread out between the two blocks or class time.
"The students write two papers on the subject and have plenty of instruction, but this makes it more real for them," Bruman said. "They actually get to observe how these engines work.
"They start with the steam engine kits, then move to the hands-on part of building, then the troubleshooting, then we test them out."
Bruman said the assignment also helps with communication and character-building qualities.
"The students are randomly assigned teams," Bruman said. "It's definitely a good lesson in building teamwork skills."
The engineering program is offered as a dual-credit class, meaning it partially matches the core curriculum of the Cumberland County College engineering.
"Students can take this class and receive both high school and college level credit," Bruman said.