European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Kids Putter with Wacky education by Gary Pomeroy staff writer Frankfurt Germany a Leah corned a putted an oversized Golf Ball watching As it Slid through a Hole in a Box and bumped into a much larger Ball. Attached to the top of the Large Ball was a plastic tube with a Hammer like device at the top. The movement of the Large Ball forced the Hammer to fall Forward and smash into an aluminium tray filled with ice cubes. Voila a instant crushed ice. A fall right a Comoda shrieked and raised the Putter in jubilation. It Wasny to the final Hole in a bizarre Golf tournament just some seventh Grade students at Frankfurt Middle school completing their study of inventors. In this Case Rube Goldberg. Reuben Lucius a a Ruben Goldberg was an american cartoonist whose wildly intricate contraptions earned him worldwide recognition including a pulitzer prize in 1948. From machines that removed pins out of laundered shirts to a self opera tag Napkin Goldberg a creations made the simplest tasks comically Complex. A i wanted to give them the students an idea of what inventors have done and the creative process they go through and How they be become successful people a teacher Valerie Lysaught said. The project began with an overview of some of the strange things that have been patented Over the years. The students Learned that nearly 100 years ago there was a movement to close the . Patent office. It was believed by some Lysaught said that everything had been invented. Lysaught gave the students 10 Days to create their own Goldberg style inventions. Comoda a group thought at first about making a a tossed salad a after we agreed what idea and which Way to do it a things went smoothly Comoda said. A it was More the project disagreeing with us a said Michelle Wallace 12, a Comoda cohort. Across the room Adam Burton Michael Keelin reman Kainth and Ian Bennett made final preparations for their creation a a the toothpaste Putter Oner a his and their creation consisted of a fan blowing a vertical ruler into an upright 8-by-10-Inch Board which fell Over and crashed onto a tube of toothpaste. The cavity fighting gel then spurted onto two toothbrushes placed directly in front of the tube. A a it a primarily for in the morning a Bennett 12, noted. Bennett steam first planned to place the toothbrushes a foot beneath the toothpaste in the Basin of the classroom its amps l Emmett Lewis or. Dion Veira left and Nancy Callen demonstrate their water balloon fire extinguisher. A weight with a Sharp Point glides Down the string to pop a water balloon that hangs Over a lighted Candle. Sink. But adjusting the Range of the toothpaste with the Range of drop and distance posed an insurmountable technical problem a unpredictable toothpaste propulsion. A we could never Tell where the Board would hit the tube a Bennett said. A it took us several hours and three tubes of toothpaste to make it work a Burton said. Jill Horton a frustration had nothing to do with research and development. As she assembled her invention in class she discovered that her egg Crusher was missing a few pieces. A a kid my sister was baby sitting started playing with it a Horton said. This was compounded by Horton smother who unknowingly threw away some parts that the child has removed. Thus Horton a career As an inventor stalled. A Einstein had it easy a Horton lamented. A the did no to have a he did no to have relatives who baby sat in his lab either. A amps l Emmott lows or. Les Marie Velez watches As Leah Comoda left and Michelle Wallace right set up their ice crusher.4 math science teachers win award White House ceremony applauds their skills by Jimi Jones education writer High school teacher Kathryn Wimbush takes a Tough approach to teaching math and recent developments indicate her methods Are not even a fraction off. In a considered to be strict and i in ,t0 key but in a fair. And i offer a lot of help to those who need it a said Wim Bush who teaches at Mannheim High school in Germany. I also encourage them students to take As mud a math As they can handle in High school so some careers Are not automatically shut off to them. Most higher paying jobs Are math related jobs a she said. Wimbush and three other teachers in might any overseas schools in Germany have earned $7,500 Grants for their schools and invitations to the White House to be honoured for their a excellent approaches to teaching math and the four department of defense dependents schools teachers have been awarded the 1990 presidential awards for excellence in science and mathematics. The three others Are Gerald a. Adams a science teacher at Ramstein High school Melissa a. Dale a math teacher at Ansbach elementary school and Marcia l. Banks a science teacher at Hainer Berg elementary school in Wiesbaden. The two elementary schoolteachers were honoured last week in Washington and the secondary teachers will visit the nations capital oct. 15-20. The awards program sponsored by the National science foundation has recognized the skills and dedication of science and mathematics teachers since 1983. Teachers Are judged on their abilities to improve students understanding of Sci ence and mathematics and on their demonstration of educational goals that make them leaders in their profession. Presidential awards also Are granted to encourage qualified persons to enter and remain in the teaching Field. Wimbush intends to use part of the Grant at Mannheim to recruit a future teacher. She said she plans to offer a math related scholarship to a student who will pursue a career As a math teacher. A there Are so few a she said. A everything else pays she also intends to use the Money to establish a forum for math teachers to meet and share ideas. And the school can expect some Apple computer software that she thinks will be help nil. Her students share her excitement about her one week trip she said but Are not without some misgivings. A my kids Here at school have been so excited but they done to like me to be Adams a native of Maine who has been doing what he loves for 21 years takes the hands on approach to science he said. A a in a very attentive to their students needs a Adams said and he favors science activities that introduce students to practical skills. A the More interesting technology world gives us the Opportunity to show students How science fits into everyday life a Adams said. A both science and math have to get Back on a level of com decency and to do that we have to give dds hands on experiences on How it re ates to their everyday the award he said is the a culmination of a lot of work and a Way to show that a lot of people have been working to bring math and science up to a level of
