STEM Archives - M & M Box Partitions Co.

Tag Archive: STEM

Cardboard Boat Regatta

June 15, 2015 12:00 am Leave a Comment

When most people think about the durability of cardboard, they imagine how many bottles a particular box can hold and how heavy those bottles can be. But have you ever thought how well your cardboard box can hold up when it has to get two teenagers across a swimming pool? Probably not. But a physics teacher in Longview, Texas was and left it up to her students to answer.

The teacher, Jennifer Smith, hoped to teach the students about the Archimedes’ Principle which states that in order for something to float, it must displace its own weight in the water. So a student weighing 150 lbs. must be able to displace 150 lbs. of water to stay afloat. The students are allowed to use three layers of corrugated cardboard and can only use packing tape or duct tape on the seams of the boxes to help hold it together. Once they feel the boat is seaworthy, they put it in the water, get themselves in and try to make it across the 75-foot pool in the Lobo Aquatic Center. One boat almost made it across before sinking.

Smith said that while she can teach all day in a classroom, it’s more important to get the students involved and learn things hands-on. The Lobo Regatta has been practiced for the last 15 years. This endeavor helped the students not only learn the Archimedes principle, but also the importance of teamwork to solve complex problems. The students said that they understood the principle but really enjoyed the activity because it was exciting and fun.

Manufacturing Day 2014

November 3, 2014 12:00 am Leave a Comment

On October 3^rd the nation celebrated Manufacturing Day. And we at M&M Box were happy to take part. It is a day to get the word out about the importance of manufacturing. By bringing the importance of manufacturing to the forefront of people’s minds, we can encourage the next generation to follow in our footsteps. The importance of Manufacturing Day is shown by a growing skills gap and a lack in STEM education.

The skills gap is a growing concern for the manufacturing industry. With re-shoring in full effect, the country and industry needs more people to fill the shoes of those retiring and of the new jobs that are being created. The answer to the skills gap is STEM education. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Getting younger people interested in the field of STEM will surely help the manufacturing industry, as well as the country at large.

Manufacturing Day and the push for STEM education go hand in hand. On October 3^rd, manufacturers across the country stood up together to educate the youth about the rewarding work of manufacturing. We are proud supporters of STEM education and hope you will reach out to us to learn more about it.