Wind kids

Aruna Abhayagoonawardhana, 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group mechanical engineer, huddles with Tinker Youth Center fifth-grader Ashley Schatzle to test the energy output of a home-made wind turbine. Kids grouped with Tinker engineers and 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineer Directorate Base Resource volunteers to build, test and tweet the performance of their creations during an Oct. 5 4-H National Science Experiment held at the youth center. (Air Force photo by Margo Wright)

Youth Center participates in wind energy experiment

Published Oct. 14, 2011
By Brandice J. O'Brien
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- They thought like engineers and performed like subject-matter experts.

Approximately 15 elementary school-aged adolescents gathered around tables in a Youth Center classroom Oct. 5 to participate in the 4-H 2011 National Science Experiment, "Wired for Wind." The youths designed and built two types of wind turbines, tested their inventions, discussed ways to improve their models and identified the best locations for wind farms.

"It's really great," said Jordan Hogue, 11. "We learned how to make wind energy into electric energy and we can make it when the wind blows. The only downside is if the wind doesn't blow."

Led by Tinker's engineers and Energy Team, roughly two to five adolescents at each table discussed the basics of energy synergy, electricity and how electricity is generated. Following an explanation, each group armed with paper blades, tape and wood dowels built vertical-axis and horizontal-axis wind turbines. They tested their finished products by connecting the turbines' small generators to multimeters. The children held their windmills in front of a fan and recorded the created energy.

"It's awesome," said Micah Ruff, 11. "It pretty much saves energy."

After both turbines had been tested, the youth discussed the results with Tinker's engineers and Energy Team experts and experimented with techniques to increase the amount of energy collected. They discussed changing the angles and heights of the fan blades and adding or reducing the number of blades on the turbines.

"I think the kids got the idea that if they changed the blades' angles, it would improve the performances of the windmill and make it go faster," said Aruna Abhayagoonawardhana, 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group mechanical engineer. "They did a pretty good job and it was a way to open their minds. It was a simple way to see how the big ones work."