June 10, 2006

The Future: One Youngster at a Time

The young man was sitting in his seat waiting for me to tell the large audience what he as an eleven year old designed and built with my help. It was Awards Night at R. O. Gibson Middle School, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and there were many awards given to those students with notable academic achievements. Those not getting awards were there to cheer on their friends and show support. There was one young man by the name of Russell Bliss that achieved something that no other school mate had done in any recent times. He has a creative mind that was first noticed by this author and encouraged to grow at his own level and pace. He designed a solar oven that has reached temperatures of about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Russell is now planning to cook some great meals using the sun’s energy.

By Richard Williams

The Future: One Youngster at a Time

This was mostly a wood working project but the principals of Solar Absorption and heating along with the angle of incidence (reflected mirrored sunlight) had to be planned for in advance. Young Mr. Bliss wanted something more than a box with a window glass, he wanted angle adjustments to track the elevation of the sun as it climbed in the sky and also a way to follow it as it crossed from East to West. This was adding much more complexity to a proven design but it did not discourage him. He drew sketches and discussed his ideas with me his mentor. My idea was only to guide him and to get the materials together so we could build his design. We worked on the project one hour per week in the parking lot of his school. Windy days, cold days and even some rain at times did not stop us. The partially built “Russell Solar Oven” is shown down below just about half way through. Some engineering changes had to be made after we discussed it and agreed upon the design improvements.
By Richard Williams

The Future: One Youngster at a Time


By Richard Williams

The Future: One Youngster at a Time

Russell was surprising me with his understanding of structural mechanics. He understood that the windy conditions that are often times felt in the desert meant that much needed bracing and properly designed supports had to be incorporated into the original plans. The reflective mirrors had to have a very specific angle of 60 degrees off of the horizontal surface of the window glass opening, if they were going to work properly and to increase the overall efficiency of the oven. How to mount the supports and to brace them had to be skillfully planned before continuing with the project. Using SolidWorks, a 3D world class modeling software, was instrumental in seeing the engineered design changes before implementing them. Slowly things were taking shape and it was starting to look very futuristic and even exciting to the both of us. I could see it in his face that he was enjoying this project very much. Russell now knows the need for good reading and math skills. It was decided upon, that we would build it to one forth of the full scale model. A strong relationship was building between us. I enjoyed teaching proper and safe tool usage because Russell learned very quickly. He wasn’t the only one learning things. I was getting a free insight into a young man’s mind and how eleven year olds think. That knowledge I could apply to my other students when I teach them different things. The reward that I am getting for helping a young man like Russell is beyond any kind of value that I have ever known before. I remember this quote and I do not know the author of it but it does seem appropriate for the message that I am trying to convey. “We never stand so tall then when we stoop to help a youngster.” Helping one youngster at a time is a meaningful endeavor and if we all did that we would have a much better world. There is a world full of youngsters that could use an adult friend and counselor. I do not make demands upon him but I do discuss the ramifications of the actions that he takes. Someday Russell will be teaching me, but in the meantime I will be ready to teach, counsel and be a friend to him while he is maturing nicely. Here are some more pictures of the Awards Night and Russell’s creation. I am so proud of this young man.
By Richard Williams

The Future: One Youngster at a Time


By Richard Williams

The Future: One Youngster at a Time

The Future: One Youngster at a Time


By Richard Williams

The Future: One Youngster at a Time

By Richard Williams