Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Est. 1963
Mr. Omar Crowder- Principal
Mr. Andrew Adams- Director
Project Sparc is made up of several divisions so that students who have an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math can participate in their own niched interests. Project Sparc meets Monday - Thursdays after school.
Astronomy
Project Sparc has partnered with Penn State University Abington and West Virginia University to investigate and search for deep space pulsars. Students use data downloaded from WVU’s radio telescope to identify radio signals from the far reaches of our universe. In addition to analyzing data, students also participate in star viewing parties, and engage in student run lectures discussing everything from what it takes to be a NASA astronaut to the possibility of life on other planets.
Students in the engineering division are hard at work trying to solve real world problems using STEM. Students in this division engineer everything from an affordable at home hydroponic garden to engineering a way to capture energy from wind from passing cars on the highway. Engineering incorporates coding into their projects
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Students also engage in building catapults, Rube Goldberg Machines, and Lithium Ion powered bicycles. Students also compete in the Science Olympiad.
Engineering
Flight
Students in the flight division of Project Sparc engage in a wide variety of activities ranging from drone building and pilot certification, to rocketry design and competition. Students also plan and execute Project Sparc's annual Space Flight Simulation.
Our missions range in complexity from landing on Mars' Phobos to exploring the dark side of our Moon. Space Flight Simulations are scripted and are inspired by real life NASA missions
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Medical
Students in the medical division of Project Sparc work to recieve their CPR and Basic First Aid cards through the American Red Cross. Topics they are taught include Infant CPR, CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and several other forms of first aid. Students also participate in the annual space flight simulation and visit several ambulance companies throughout the year.
Programming
Students in the coding division of Project Sparc use Code Academy and EdX to learn computer programing languages such as Arduino, C++, and Java. Students in this division design apps, games, and work in conjunction with our robotics division to program and control our robots for competition.
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Robotics
Students in the robotics division design and build robots for competition in two annual contests every year. The first competition they compete in is called the First Tech Robotics Challenge. During this competition the student designed and coded robot must complete a specific task by manipulating artifacts and outwitting other teams.
The second competition this division competes in is the Marine Technology Advanced Education challenge. During this competition, students pilot their underwater ROV to complete a series of challenges using underwater cameras and a cabled remote that they've coded.