Week of January 27

Well.... the weather is making its impact felt here in Round Rock.  For now, the published A/B calendar will be followed despite that we have now missed 2 consecutive A day classes.  Some alterations may come later, but that would have to be a district decision.

We are in the midst of the Fireplace control project.  B day classes have had a chance to work on this, but A day has not missed 2 opportunities.  The plan would be to finish it this week, with some adjustment for 1st & 2nd period coming.  The next unit contains some paper/pencil items (like Octal & Hexadecimal number conversions) that can be done without the equipment that is only available in our lab, such as breadboards and software.

Internships & Summer Camps
If you haven't already discovered the tabs for scholarships and for summer camps, now would be a good time.  About this time of year, I start getting information from companies, universities, and agencies like NASA about opportunities that are available to high school engineering students.

Specifically, for now, A&M has a summer camp for aspiring architects, called Camp Arch.  Check out their web site and pick up an application from Mrs. Hernandez in the main office if you are interested.  Also, UTSA hosts a summer engineering camp with 2 options (overnight or day only).  Look for more details on their respective web pages or on my Internship & Summer Camps page, linked on the tab above.


Field Trips & Extra-curricular opportunities
Sign-up for the A&M Engineering Expo is still available.  The sooner you get your team together and sign up through me, the more likely it is that you will get your choice of competitions.  The expo is March 22, and the bus will leave RRHS at 6:00 a.m. for College Station, returning by 10:00 p.m.  All activity events, meals, and the event t-shirt are covered for you through A&M and the engineering activity fund.  Also, don't forget to fill out the required RRISD and TAMU permission/behavior forms.

Students may attend the Edison Lecture series with us this year on Feb 6.  The bus will leave from the 700 bldg bus loop at 10:00 a.m. and return by 2:00 - in time for C Lunch.  The topic this year will be Mobile Computing, so you can expect exhibits related to the challenges of mobile computing and hear UT professors talk about the challenges of solving problems surrounding making our computing power more mobile as give some insights as to what you can expect to see as the "next big thing". If you are interested, sign up on the form below so that I know who will be attending and (of course) fill out the required permission forms.

This week at RRHS
Report cards will (now) be sent home on Thursday, a day later due to the weather cancellation on Tuesday.

DE students can earn credit through ACC based solely on your course grade (no EoC exam requirement).  The credit would automatically show up on your ACC transcript if you qualify once you enroll in classes at ACC.  A letter was sent home last week offering you the opportunity to "opt out" of using your social security number as the ACC identification number for this process.  Any student who does NOT return the letter signed by his or her parents will have their social security number assigned as the student ID for ACC.  Please make sure to return these or contact me if you have any questions.

Week of Jan 20

This week in DE
Students should have finished the Fireplace control project last week.  If you have not completed the working breadboard, find some time outside of class to make sure that you get it completed. If you only work on it during class time, you will miss the 7 segment assignment and the next project, the Date of Birth.  Make sure that you watch the 7 segment video before class on Tuesday (there is a quiz over the video and K-mapping) and then the Date of Birth video before Wednesday or Thursday.

We will have a new "teacher in training" beginning this week.  Her name is Melanie Kong, and you may see her around at any time, but she will definitely be working with 1st & 2nd periods on A days.  Welcome her to RRHS and be on your best behavior for her.

Sign-ups are still open for the Texas A&M Engineering Expo.  Remember that you have a better chance of getting the competition that you most desire if your team signs up early.  I will submit your team's registration once you have a completed team.  The competion is now 2 months away, March 22.

This week at RRHS
There are no late starts this week, but we will have a fire drill during 2nd period on Wednesday.

College Recruiter Visits
Thursday (1/23) - Kansas State
Friday (1/24) - University of Texas at San Antonio

Week of January 13

This week in DE
We will finish up the fireplace control circuits and then begin to learn to use the seven segment display such as those used on scoreboards, clocks, and other electronic signs. Be sure that you wrap up the fireplace breadboards before Wednesday.

This week at RRHS
Herff-Jones will be on campus Wednesday & Thursday for seniors to order caps & gowns. Be sure to stop by their table in the 1100 bldg during lunches to get yours ordered.

If you are interested in the Texas A&M Engineering Expo, to be held March 22, find some of your friends to form a team and sign up via the form below.  Note that there are 2 forms that are required by A&M as well as 2 forms required by me in order to join a team for this event.  Be sure that you complete all of the forms quickly so that your team gets their first choice of competitions.

College Visits
Monday (1/13) - Harvard

Texas A&M Engineering Expo
The Student Engineer's Council at Texas A&M has combined the FADE competition from the past with the physics and science departments festival to create the Texas A&M Engineering Expo.  The expo includes several design competitions, including one in which student teams create an alternative energy car that must travel across a 30 foot bridge and deliver the maximum amount of energy (impact, hit, crush) to a 3" diameter target on the other side.  You may form the teams from students at RRHS, and we will cover the team entry fee and bus transportation for you.  For planning purposes, I need to know who is going and on what teams.  You need to fill out the Google Docs form below so that I can get the information necessary.  In addition, you MUST fill out both the TAMU release forms and the RRISD forms.

Happy New Year

Happy new year and welcome back for the spring semester!

This Week in Class
 We ended last semester in the middle of a unit, so we will pick up where that left off.  To start off, I have 2 videos for you to watch.  One explains the Logic Converter from Multisim.  This is the device that will make you groan and use my name in vain after you see it.  The second video explains the tools that you have seen me use in troubleshooting.  Watch these so that you can begin to trouble-shoot your own circuits and become more independent learners in the spring.

We will learn to use the logic converter and then apply all that we learned to build a fireplace safety control circuit.  This circuit has two parts, similar to the past couple that we have done. One will be done in all NAND, while the other will be in all NOR.  You should finish the logic converter in class and the fireplace control (including breadboarding) by Friday.  The assignments will begin taking point deductions for being late next week, so be sure to use your class time wisely.

This week at RRHS
Report cards for the first semester and 3rd six weeks will be sent home this Thursday, so look for them to arrive home.