Local not-for-profit sponsoring, working with students in Hoover FUSE Club

With a great deal of problem-solving, innovation and teamwork, fifth- and sixth-grade students in the FUSE Club at Hoover Math and Science Academy transformed boxes of parts into radio-controlled racers.

Some club members kick-started the project in January by organizing the numerous parts into labeled bags that corresponded with the instructions. During the club's weekly meetings the teams worked their way through 23 steps of varying degrees of difficulty to assemble their vehicles.

On April 17 the students demonstrated their driving skills with their finished racers. Parents were invited to this culminating activity, during which students also shared some of the challenges they faced along the way and what they learned throughout the process, FUSE Club Sponsor Meagan DeSalvo said.

"The steps are really challenging," said Chris, a FUSE Club member. "You have to think deep about what's happening, and if something goes wrong, you have to think about how and why it went wrong."

"It's just been a really fun experience," said Sarah, another club member.

The Hoover FUSE Club takes on a different challenge each year. Last year, students built drones.

The club is sponsored by Golden Corridor Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing a sustainable manufacturing workforce along the I-90 corridor from O'Hare to Rockford. GCAMP works closely with local school districts and colleges to expose students to skills and jobs in the manufacturing field.

"We're finding that if you wait until their senior year in high school to get them thinking about this potential career path, it's too late," GCAMP President Gary Skoog said.

Skoog and Kevin Clay, the Productivity Center Manager for Sandvik Coromant in Schaumburg, attended the Hoover FUSE Club meetings to work with the students on their vehicles.

"The students have the opportunity to work in teams, innovating and problem-solving," Skoog said. "These are STEM skills. The experience might encourage them to take more math, science and other related courses to be better prepared for today's tech-driven careers."