Cub Scouts get crash course in engineering

Webelos Cub Scout Den 6 from Pack 181 in Westmoreland get a crash course from Dr. Douglas Holzhauer, Engineering Technology Lecturer, during a March 2017 visit to SUNY Poly in Utica.

A pack of Cub Scouts working on their engineering merit badge received some special insight in March, thanks to the kind heart and vast knowledge of a SUNY Poly faculty member.

Engineering Technology Lecturer Dr. Douglas Holzhauer hosted Webelos Cub Scout Den 6 from Pack 181 in Westmoreland, giving them a short course on using finite element analysis (FEA) to design bridges.

The scouts had both a great time and walked away with some valuable knowledge. They had previously designed a bridge using popsicle sticks that they analyzed with Dr. Holzhauer using FEA.

“I enjoyed the enthusiasm displayed by the the scouts and how quickly they were able to understand the concepts,” Dr. Holzhauer said. “Like our engineering tech students, the scouts had an intuitive understanding of engineering and really enjoyed a hands on approach to learning.”