Advanced Engineering: Structures 2 is a new advanced course that offers exposure to the real-world applications of engineering concepts. This class is a great fit for students curious about specific examples of engineering, from bridges to Gothic architecture.
Engineering Teacher Brad Moriarty shares that, “The goal of Structures 2 is to take the understandings of Structures 1 and show how they apply to a lot of different structures. So Structures 1 talked about a basic beam and a basic truss, and all the fundamental structural engineering topics, but in Structures 2 it’s applied in a very different way: to suspension bridges, arches, and wilder stuff, like cathedrals, and inflatable tennis court buildings.”
Moriarty described the course as a collection of all the ancillary knowledge one would learn in college engineering courses, without most of the heavy calculus and other math. This ancillary knowledge would be built on a course focused on specific examples, from bridges to skyscrapers and other architectural marvels. Brad highlighted the class’s deep dive into the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, the largest unfinished catholic church in the world.
The cantilevers in the Stu-Fac are a wonderful display of engineering mastery, created by students in Moriarty’s Topics in Engineering: Structures 1 classes. When asked if his students would create similar displays in Structures 2, Moriarty mentioned that the class will have two major projects. First, the class will work together to create a tower much like a skyscraper and measure its motion to create a tuned mass damper. Tuned mass dampers are typically large masses connected to a structure through springs and dampers, built to reduce the vibrations within a structure by absorbing energy and stabilizing the building. Along with this collective project, students will individually develop their own model of a specific structural concept, like a suspension bridge or a Gothic flying buttress.
Structures 2 is the sixth engineering class to be added to Concord Academy’s curriculum, and for now, the only advanced engineering course offered. When asked about the future of Engineering as a sub-discipline at Concord Academy, Moriarty shared the major goals the Science Department has for each of its sub-disciplines: “For every sub-discipline, the goal is a foundational course, an advanced course, and variety.” In the future, Moriarty hopes to incorporate more variety into CA’s engineering courses, including classes focused on environmental, acoustical, electrical, and mechanical engineering.