From stress-testing innovative infrastructure concepts to assembling communication headgear and simulating airplane flight scenarios, Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher Ms. Georgina Bingaman’s students blend Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) related opportunities. Room L604 has been a student favorite for a long time, and some of that is due to how much unique technology and equipment Bingaman’s room has as well as how these resources have helped develop students.
Bingaman loves STEM, so paired with her desire to share that love with her students and “get the world thinking about STEM,” she has taken a lot onto her plate. Bingaman teaches three levels of cybersecurity, two levels of aerospace engineering, three levels of Project Lead The Way engineering classes, and a robotics class– all in L604. The atmosphere is constantly buzzing, and that is in part due to all the resources in her room that draw students into having such an experience. Bingaman pointed out, “Technology equipment can transform passive learning into interactive and engaging experiences, can empower students to be creative and innovative, and exposes students to diverse perspectives and practical challenges.”
Junior Andy Olejer has been with Bingaman for three years in different classes and has had a great experience in her room. He sees L604 as “an open environment” with extensive access to tools, which “broadens the scope of your abilities.” As a past member of Dual Enrollment courses like Virginia Aerospace and Technology Scholars (VASTS) with NASA, Olejer has extensively used the many computers in Bingaman’s room to access Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs, as well as “really nice equipment of boards and equipment for drafting,” as he put it, which is a physical method to draw out invention designs. For Olejer, access to these engineering tools over his three years has made him feel like he really has room to grow and “be independent” in this environment.
Brayden Santoli is a senior who is new to the crazy world of Bingaman’s room but loves it just as much. With the students coming in and out while working on various projects, Santoli commented, “At first it seems hectic and full of chaos, but as you spend more time there, it becomes a cozy place to work.” Santoli has made heavy use of the 3D printer. In Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Engineering, his group is working on an independent project of designing communication-based headgear for field work, and he has employed the 3D printer in manufacturing the parts necessary. Reflecting on this, he said, “The variety [of equipment] allows students to experiment and solve issues by themselves.” Santoli has also used 3D slicing software, soldering irons and wood burners, which anyone working on their unique projects have access to. Bingaman said, “The 3D printer is my favorite, as it really does help students understand the entire design process.”
Bingaman summarizes the experience by saying that a STEM-centered room like her own without the resources and equipment it has would be “like art classes not having clay or paint.” L604, and all the classes taught inside it, is a unique corner of Woodgrove that provides the student body with countless opportunities and resources, creating an exciting and free environment for all the students who are drawn to it over their four years.