Andover Police Detectives Host AHS Forensic Science Students

Members of AHS science teacher Lindsey L'Ecuyer's Forensic Science classes recently took from the high school over the Andover Police Department to learn more about how the skills they are developing in class are used in the applied in the field.  Andover police detectives Kevin Aufiero and Peter Reming hosted three classes of students during the course of the day.

Detective Aufiero presents a short presentation of the different applications of forensic science in police work

The program for students began with a short presentation by Detective Aufiero on the various ways in which forensic science is used in police work.  He discussed different kinds of specialties within the field of forensics and shared experiences he had had in the field.

Det. Aufiero emphasizes the importance of technique and following protocol when processing evidence at a crime scene.

After the forensics presentation, students were given a tour of the police station's booking room and got to see a demonstration of the automated fingerprinting equipment, the booking room, and the holding cells.

Detective Aufiero points out some of the characteristic patterns found analysts look for when identifying fingerprints 

The tour of the station concluded with a view of the evidence room and a chance to have an up close look at the equipment found inside police vehicles.

Andover Police Department Detective Peter Reming shows AHS forensic science students some of the equipment carried in the back of a police cruiser 

For a more detailed story of this forensic science field trip, one can read a story about it in the Andover Townsman here

Dancing Robot Visits Elementary Schools

Students in Andover's elementary schools were recently treated to a special program about robotics sponsored by the Town-wide PTO.  The Robotics program was presented by an educational presentation company called Wondergy.  During the hour-long program, students learned how electricity and switches are used in robotics for sensing and responding to input.  The role of programming in allowing robots to know what they know was also discussed.

Students at South Elementary School enjoy learning about the different elements of robotics

Demonstrations showing how turning electricity into motion, light, and other forms of energy enables robots to work and programming feedback loops into robot programs allow them to self-correct and adjust to stimuli.

With a little help from some South school volunteers,

the concept of electrical circuits is demonstrated

Ask any student present for the program "What was the highlight?" and the overwhelming response would be NAO, a 58 cm tall humanoid robot produced by a Aldebaran with a variety capabilities though on this day, it impressed the students by showing off it's dance moves to a very appreciative audience. 

NAO, the robotic star of the show, is created and produced by Aldebaran 

AHS Engineering Students Visit and Tour Schneider Electric

On October 15, 2015, nearly 60 Andover High School students enrolled in the Exploring Engineering course spent a day visiting Schneider Electric at their North American headquarters in Andover.  Schneider is an international energy management company with over 170,000 employees worldwide with operations in over 100 countries.  Students participated in an outreach program developed by Schneider management to enable high school students to learn about the many different applications of engineering knowledge and skills in an industry setting and to meet and interact with engineers in their labs and workspaces.

Schneider Electric VP and General Manager Ed Mueskes welcomes
Andover High students and presents a profile of the company. 

The visit began with a presentation about Schneider Electric and the highlighting the wide range of products and services offered by this diverse company.  Students were next sorted into four tour groups led by Schneider engineers and led on a two-hour tour during which they visited 10 different labs within the complex and hearing short presentations by the engineers, designers, and programmers working in each area.  After the tour, students were served lunch and were presented with a panel discussion with eight Schneider employees talking about a variety of topics related to engineering as a career choice.

The program was very well received by Andover High students, many of whom are giving serious consideration to engineering programs in college.  Special thanks to Schneider Electric Vice President and General Manager Ed Mueskes and his team for reaching out to Andover High School to participate in the program and for providing such a rich experience for participating students.