FALL SEMESTER saw the surprising increase in the number of students enrolled in the Materials & Methods 2 course that culminates in a major build project.
Fall 2022 semester had enough students to create three sections of the course, each focusing their build project toward donating the result to a non-profit organization.
There were two daytime sections led by Nate Swanson and Ben Holbrook. A night class was led by adjunct instructor Eli Abnet.
Section 1 focused on designing and building a hunting shack, first with a ¼-scale model on a raised base to be used as an educational tool. After the class worked out the framing, insulation and finishing details, they applied this knowledge to building a full-scale shack that went to Red, White and Blue Outdoors, a non-profit that provides outdoor experiences in Blaine, MN, for veterans.
Section 2, led by Holbrook, created modular wolf dens for ease of transport and installation, and benches for the Minnesota Wildlife Science Center (MWSC) near Stacy, MN. The night class, led by Abnet, designed and built a storage shed for the MWSC.
SPRING SEMESTER took a different tack by designing, building, and installing a shelter in RED 25 for the Electrical Construction and Maintenance program’s new Solar PV lab.
Students focused on the finished shed (based on the same plans used for the Fall hunting shacks) so that it provided ELEC students with different construction wall assemblies within the structure they might encounter on various potential field conditions.