Students at Magnet School Gain High-Tech Experience

Say the words “research methods class” and images of nerds mumbling to themselves in cluttered study carrels may come to mind.

But that’s not the case in the research methods class at the Van Nuys High School Medical Magnet, where students are gaining hands-on experience by creating their own high-tech research projects.

In the last three years, the research methods class has won nearly $50,000 in grants from Medtronic Inc., an international medical supply company that has adopted the high school.

One of the innovative projects funded by the grant is a wind tunnel that students designed, engineered and built to help them study aerodynamics, teacher Robert Coutts said.

The 15-foot-long tunnel is powered by an ordinary window box fan that sends swirling air through a wooden grate that causes the air to flow in a straight line, Coutts said.

As the air goes through a series of narrower tubes, Coutts said, it picks up speed--about 15 mph--before entering a plexiglass observation chamber, where students can view the effect lift has on various plastic airfoils and plastic foam wingspans.

After making their observations, Coutts said, the students share what they have learned with peers and professionals worldwide via the Internet.

“This class has really taught me how to observe and research and how to be patient,” said Cathy Phongsamran, an 18-year-old senior and aspiring chemist.