A homemade hovercraft, original scientific studies, and even a 3D printer with custom, recycled filament were all on display at the Mahopac Middle School 2024 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Fair.
Among the future scientists, artists and engineers were a pair of brothers seeking to take landfill-destined plastic waste and repurpose it to print tools, replacement parts, and anything else that a 3D printer can be used to make. Seventh-grade student Thomas Theanthong and his brother, sixth-grade student Timothy Theanthong, showed several objects that they had 3D printed with their recycled filament.
“We start by turning the plastic into a strip, then we run it through a glue gun,” said Thomas Theanthong. “Once you have that, you can just roll it up into a spool and use it like normal filament in a 3D printer with the right settings… 3D printing is a really important technology. People are 3D printing houses, so if we can make filament cheaper and more accessible, more people will be able to make tools and parts and other useful things with it.”
Another student stood alone with a strange, garage-built circular device, whose function remained a mystery until he turned on the loud attached leaf blower. Sixth-grader Dylan Fumusa had constructed a hovercraft capable of floating on a cushion of air contained by a flexible skirt. Most impressive was when Fumusa stood on the device, which continued to float without issue.
“My dad helped me design it but I built it myself,” said Fumusa. “It took me two weeks. I made the platform out of plywood, the skirt out of an old shower curtain, and the air comes from a big leaf blower. It took a long time to figure out how to attach the skirt to the platform, I used staples, silicone, and tape to attach it and make the seal air-tight.”
“I want to double the size of it,” said one fifth-grade student, reviewing the hovercraft. “That way, I can get on it with my cats and fly around!”
Margaret Fox and Kelly Kischak, the event’s organizers, aimed to include the next generation of young inventors and scientists by inviting Mahopac’s fifth-grade classes up the day before for a special early view of the fair. The STEAM Fair offers students a chance to explore a personal interest in STEAM, including everything from homegrown scientific studies to novel prototype inventions.