Testing the Waters : Science Class Gives Students Lessons on Boat-Building

They gathered under a sunny San Fernando Valley sky Thursday, a group of nautical neophytes brought together for the maiden voyages of their handcrafted vessels.

The would-be ship designers were middle school students enrolled in a summer science class at Cal State Northridge. The students, on the final day of their five-week “imagineering” course, came to the campus swimming pool to put their boats to the ultimate test: the water.

“It’s a practical, hands-on science class,” said instructor Jim Belg as the kids splashed in the water behind him. Belg said students had to calculate the depth of their boats based on the weight of the heaviest crew members, a factor that would be critical in the water.

“As long as they’re steady in the water they’ll do pretty well,” he said.

After passing the first, crucial test--flotation--the boats were ready for the next challenge, a mini regatta the length of the pool. Belg gave the signal and the vessels were off, powered only by the furious paddling of the two-student crews.

Then, one by one, they dipped, wobbled, heaved . . . and sunk.

“The guys sunk us,” joked a soggy Karen Vuong, 11, of Northridge. “The guys cheated.”

True, but it was something far simpler that sank most of the dinghies--the laws of physics. Once the students learned that they had to sit in the boat’s center to stay afloat, it was smooth sailing--or paddling.

“To me, this is the way science should be taught,” Belg said. A science teacher at Patrick Henry Middle School in Granada Hills, Belg said the summer courses offer students a far more rewarding experience than sitting in a classroom.

“This is an opportunity for students to build something,” he said. Using hand tools, the kids spent several weeks building the boats out of plywood based on Belg’s simple concept, a sort of basic scow that the students modified.

Bonnie Ericson, co-director of CSUN’s Summer Academic Enrichment Program, said 750 children participated in this year’s classes, which included studies in math, writing, art, computers, psychology, drama and the Internet.

Several of Belg’s female pupils conceded that while they were initially put off at the prospect of studying science, the class taught them that they can do anything boys can.

“The girls at this age are very, very capable,” Belg said, “and in some cases more capable than the guys.”

Still, Elizabeth Vargis, 12, said she had to convince her incredulous girlfriends that learning was an acceptable way to spend summer vacation.

“They said, ‘Science? You’re taking science? ‘ But it was actually pretty cool,” she said.