​Grade 8 students at Chipman Forest Avenue School have been researching and building hydraulic machinery as part of a science grant for special projects under the instruction of their teacher Angela Lawless.

Following their research, the students busied themselves in the science lab for several weeks assembling hydraulic machine kits which they later planned to display for the rest of the school, parents and the community. 

"All of the students were excited about the task at hand and many described the difficult process of reading through the instructions, following the diagrams and actually piecing together the machines, hoses for the fluids, and securing the different implements on the arms," said David Northrup, resource teacher at the school. "They were sharing ideas, helping each other, and seeking information from other groups as they worked to solve design issues and how best to complete their task. Their teacher sought out an activity that was complex, relevant and common place in the student's world, one that has a kinesthetic component and has curricular ties to the rest of the students' day."

Hydraulic machines are machinery and tools that use liquid fluid power to do simple work. Heavy equipment is a common example. The popularity of hydraulic machinery is due to the very large amount of power that can be transferred through small tubes and flexible hoses, and the high power density and wide array of actuators that can make use of this power.

Shown in the photos below are (1) (left to right) Grade 8 students Hannah Paczay and Grace Barton with their science project; (2) (left to right, front) Kaitlyn Chiasson, Anthony Pascon, Dylan Yates, Braden Dykeman, Caleb Knox, Wyatt Elliott, Jayden Sullivan, Leah Blakey; (back row) Teacher Angela Lawless, Jessica Goode, Hannah, Strout, Cati Coady, Logan Casey-White, Sam Lawless, Kyle Wood.