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Wallkill Valley Times , Wednesday , November 30 , 2016

PUBLIC AGENDA

THURSDAY , DECEMBER 1 Montgomery Town Board , 7 p . m . Town Government Center , 110 Bracken Road , Montgomery . Shawangunk Town Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 14 Central Ave ., Wallkill

MONDAY , DECEMBER 5 Maybrook Village Board , 7 p . m . Village Government Center , 111 Schipps Lane , Maybrook . Village of Walden Planning Board , 7:30 p . m . Village Hall , 1 Municipal Square .

TUESDAY , DECEMBER 6 Walden Village Board of Trustees , 6:30 p . m . Village Hall , 1 Municipal Square . Town of Shawangunk Planning Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 14 Central Ave ., Wallkill . Montgomery Village Board , 7:30 p . m ., Village Hall , 133 Clinton Street .

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The Wallkill Valley Times , ( USPS 699-490 ) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh , N . Y . 12550 , with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y . . Single copy : $ 1 at newsstand . By mail in Orange , Ulster or Sullivan Counties : $ 40 annually , $ 44 out of county . Periodicals permit at Newburgh , N . Y . POSTMASTER : Send address changes to Wallkill Valley Times , 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y . 12550

By JESSICA COHEN jcohen @ tcnewspapers . com

Motorcycle bodies and miniature CO2 cars that students make with 3-D printers demonstrate how math , science and art converge in engineering these days . Miniature cars that approach 60 miles per hour powered by carbon dioxide are among the recent accomplishments of students in the Academy . The cars resulted from a combination of new technology , mostly donated to the school , and students ’ new skills that enable them to use the tools creatively . They design programs that they convey to the 3-D printer on an SD card , says Enrico Licata , a senior . The printer then makes the object students design by building it layer upon layer with strips oozed out like cake decorations using a variety of materials . The printers are the size and shape of a soda machine .

On a recent day students teased each other about their CO2 cars ’ shortcomings , and Marshall also took some ribbing for his car ’ s race performance . Marshall ’ s crashed before the end , while Licata built a winner that covered 65 feet of track in . 629 seconds , about two thirds of a second .

“ I made my car light and aerodynamic . His had points that disturb the air and create more drag ,” Licata said , referring to Marshall ’ s more ornate design .

“ Six years ago , no one in the district knew Computer Assisted Design programming ,” said Marshall , an art certified teacher . Three years ago , when the Excelsior Engineering program started , he introduced that skill , which enabled students to use 3-D printers that were donated .

The result was a shift from what Marshall describes as more conventional “ subtractive manufacturing ,” where a “ solid object is whittled down ,” to “ additive manufacturing ,” where , he says , “ You start with nothing and build it up ,” as with 3-D printers .

Enrico Licata designed a speedy CO2 car that he printed with a 3-D printer

During the first year of the Academy , students used CAD and 3-D printers to make a motorcycle body using a 2015 Victory Cross Country motorcycle that was donated through the efforts of school board president Lloyd Greer , said Aaron Hopmayer , high school principal . It was the first motorcycle body in the world created with a 3-D printer , requiring 700 hours of printer time , Marshall said . Intended to be the first to break 200 miles per hour in a Bonneville Salt Flats world record competition in Utah , it has yet to be raced because of problematic road conditions last year .

Next September , students will take it to Utah for another chance , though Tom Orr , who took the lead in its creation , is now an engineering student at Columbia University

Later , students made knee braces for two dogs with torn leg ligaments , Marshall said . They made one for Marshall ’ s English bulldog that succeeded , as they overcame the challenges of working with a squirming dog . But the owner of the second dog was “ not perfectly happy ,” said Marshall . “ She was moving toward surgery . Maybe the strap we made should have been made of Velcro .”

Students also used the 3-D printer to make horse sulkies designed to look like Corvettes and Mustang GTs .

These projects were primarily done by boys , said Marshall . During the Engineering Academy ’ s first year , three girls participated , but in the second and third years , the class had no girls . But Marshall expressed optimism that girls would soon take interest .

“ More girls are being exposed to these activities at the freshman level ,” he said .

Senior Brody Walz said he has had summer jobs doing land surveying and testing for the Federal Energy Regulation Commission . He will study mechanical engineering in college . John Yarosz , also a senior , has been planning for college since seventh grade with frequent visits to guidance counselors , he said . He aims to study civil engineering and business and finance at Ohio State . Enrico Licata plans to study mechanical engineering at SUNY Binghamton and ultimately complete an engineering Ph . D .

“ My great-great-grandfather was an aerospace engineer for NASA ,” he said .

Getting to Know Robots Meanwhile , robots walk the halls nearby , picking up plastic yellow stars and putting them in boxes , as directed by students carrying remote controls .

“ We ’ re working on manipulation ,” said STEM II teacher Michele Robinson . In addition , she said that students would

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