Grade 4 Students Test Physics of Ship Stability With Help From a Veteran Naval Engineer

Coast Guard veteran Greg Matlin presented to the students on ship design and stability. explaning terminology like center of gravity, center of buoyancy and reserve buoyancy.
St. Margaret’s grade 4 students are taking part in an engineering design challenge, which involves building a “mini-Titanic” ship that can float in water and take on weight without sinking.

The students are currently engineering, building and testing a miniature boat as part of the challenge during their science block. Students will build the hull of their ship with aluminum foil, and have the option to use additional materials like clay and toothpicks to build out the ship. The ship must meet certain length and width parameters, and will be tested in how many pennies it can hold without sinking.

“The enduring understanding of the project is the utilization of the engineering design process to design, build, test, and improve a mini-boat,” Lower School science teacher David Beshk said. “This hands-on project has really engaged and challenged students over the past weeks.”

To help them understand the physics of a floating ship, Mr. Beshk invited United States Coast Guard veteran Greg Matlin to present to the students this week on ship design and stability.

Mr. Matlin served 22 years as a naval engineer in the Coast Guard, and his multimedia presentation explained concepts that go into designing a ship that can not only float in water but also correct itself when forces like wind and waves knock it off-balance. He explained terminology like center of gravity, center of buoyancy and reserve buoyancy to the students.

He also tied in his service in the Coast Guard to grade 4’s current study of the infamous 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, which has inspired the grade’s current engineering challenge. Mr. Matlin explained that the Titanic fundamentally changed the U.S. Coast Guard – after its sinking, the Coast Guard launched its Ice Operations service in 1913 to prevent further tragedies. 
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