National Park Technology Center (NPTC) high school pre-engineering students presented
their final projects last week. 
Pre-engineering instructor Mike Bridges said students begin their projects by brainstorming
ideas, considering what they would like to see change or something they want to make
better. They are required to test the viability of their ideas, build projects, and
develop case studies and presentations.
Jace Turbville (Lakeside) and Chloe Aylett (Lakeside) developed a project for sock
securers which keeps garments from getting lost while being laundered.
Zach Pike (Hot Springs High School) and Braxton Morrison (Lakeside) developed a cooling
blanket. The cooling blanket would be used in hospitals for heart patients to induce
hypothermia, which helps reduce damage to the brain.
Alexis Tice (Mountain Pine) and Lawrence Rivera (Jessieville) created an umbrella
quick dry. The stand would allow more than one umbrella to be housed for drying at
a time.
Donald Romero (Hot Springs) and Elijah Oliver (Hot Springs) focused on a first-aid
kit that is wallet sized and could be expanded to be used as a tourniquet.
John Longinotti (Lakeside) and Allen Baltondano (Hot Springs) focused on knee prosthetics
for their project. Their goal was to reduce the scarring, surgery and how much bone
needed to be shaved for the prosthetic to fit properly. This project was tested and
not viable so they had to refocus their efforts. Their second project focused on the
balance of serving trays in restaurants. Their goal was to create stable serving trays
that balance whether they are loaded with plates, drinks or empty.
Chase Vicentick (Lakeside) and Titus Harris (Hot Springs) focused their efforts on
a hookless fish hook. Their idea included a filament line that would expand in the
fish mouth removing the need for sharp hooks, reducing damage to the fish and potential
wounds to people.
Each of the students will graduate this May and plan to attend National Park College.
While they do not all plan to pursue the field of engineering, each of them expressed
appreciation for the knowledge they gained through the NPTC program.
“NPTC was something that let me gain knowledge of what it is to be an engineer and
what job possibilities there are in the market,” said Longinotti.
“We focus on teaching students critical thinking skills, teamwork, how to build a
project from beginning to end and so much more. Some of these students decide not
to go into the field of engineering and that is okay because what they learn here
are a set of skills that will translate into any career field,” said Bridges.
