YESNet paired up with the school a few months ago, according to Andrew Simmons, a systems engineer and YESNet lead. “YESNet provides various opportunities for young employees to get involved in the local community, and network with our leadership team and our peers,” added Karen Wilson, a systems engineering intern at IADC. The boys from Bellesini got some class time before heading outside to launch water bottle rockets. The goal for the teaching session was for the students to understand why math is important to so many occupations. When they were asked what kind of jobs they think need mathematics, astronauts, engineers, and baseball players were among the many mentioned.

Brian LaPlume, (THAAD Systems Engineer) lead the students through the history of rocket flight and basic Newtonian physics before breaking into teams and manning launch platforms, consisting of hinged plywood, a foot pump, hoses and clamps. The rocket? A pressurized water bottle, ¼-full, fitted into the hose clamp. Each team included a YESNet engineer to assist with finding the perfect combination of pressure level and launch angle. Each member of the team was assigned an engineering role in the launch process, such as Safety Engineer, Platform Engineer, and Fire Control Engineer. Noted teacher Catherine Maloney, “It’s good that there is an engineer for each function, just like in real life.”

Then, the count-down began. “5-4-3-2-1!” was shouted as the first rocket launched, spraying more than one team in the process. “That is awesome!” said Bellesini student Joel Casado as he wiped water off his face. Each team launched rockets in turn, with cheers and victory dances after each successful launch. Before long, it was time to go back into the Freedom Theater to face more class time and to put some math skills to good use in tracking the teams’ performance statistics.

Not only did the kids love shooting off the rockets, but they tested the knowledge of the YESNet engineering volunteers by asking a broad range of questions, varying from colleges and careers to mathematics and science. Joe Rotti, a YESNet volunteer and Co-op student from Northeastern University, said, “The students asked extremely intuitive questions that sparked conversations about science and engineering and ranged from the aerodynamics of a rocket to turbine engines and hybrid cars. It was exciting for me to see young minds so enthusiastic about math and engineering.”

Mark Smith (Systems Engineer) provided the students with a brief overview of aerodynamics and wind resistance and in thirty minutes the students had transformed their water bottles into realistic looking rockets. With minimal improvements the teams tracked improved performance as the rockets traveled further and higher than before.

The event was a great success, the students were receptive to in-depth material and all of the volunteers were able to reinforce the classroom material with the rocket experiment. “YESNet hopes to carry on events like this is in the future with Bellesini Academy; both students and the volunteers had an enjoyable experience,” said Simmons. Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Joint Battlespace Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.