Harnessing Energy

Freshmen designed solar ovens to make s’mores. 

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The freshmen in Engineering: Science by Design classes made s’mores! But they didn't use a campfire or Bunsen burners to heat the marshmallows and melt the chocolate — they used the sun!

Following the steps of the engineering design process, students began by researching commercial solar ovens. They learned how to harness the sun to cook food using a shiny material to direct sunlight onto a dark surface through a clear window. The light energy from the sun is converted to heat energy, which cooks the food inside the oven. The window prevents heat from both direct and redirected light from escaping. 

Each student selected a potential client who would benefit from a solar oven — such as individuals without access to electricity, campers, or emergency responders. They began conceptualizing how to design and build their solar ovens on their own, before mind mapping and receiving feedback from their fellow student engineers. The students had access to cardboard, black styrofoam, aluminum foil, and plexiglass to build their ovens. They put marker to paper to draw their concepts before turning to their computers to digitally illustrate their potential product. After finalizing their 3D design, they made a blueprint of the components of their oven. 

They took their blueprint to the laser cutter to cut their cardboard and foam core to their exact specifications. Necessary revisions to the calculations were made before they could move on to assemble their ovens.

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“I love when engineering is hands-on —
just you, the computer, and the laser cutter!"

- Sebastian Arreola ’25

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Once the solar ovens were complete with aluminum foil and a plexiglass window, the students placed the assembled s'more inside their solar ovens and added the thermometer that they made during the fall term. They positioned their products near the classroom windows and under grow lamps, and patiently watched as light energy was converted into heat energy, melting their marshmallow and chocolate into a rewarding and tasty treat. 

“Over the course of this project, students learned how to cleanly design and construct a product that meets the needs of their customer,” said Math and Science Teacher Ellen Browne. “They also learned to plan and adapt and overcome issues that arose.” 

“Engineering class is one of my favorite classes because I get my creative juices flowing,” said Nathan Kikonyogo ’25. “It was challenging to design something that would be operational and get the measurements and calculations just right.”