RMMS Student Enter Maglev Contest
Twelve RMMS students participated in the 10th Annual Middle School Magnet Levitation Contest, along with 180 students from 12 middle schools from across Suffolk, Nassau and Queens. Maglev technology is the suspension, guidance, and propulsion of vehicles by magnet forces, and students were required to design and construct model Maglev vehicles according to engineering specifications. They had to record their planning process in “design briefs,” which also count in the judging. The students’ vehicles were judged on speed, efficiency, and appearance. All of the 8th grade technology students worked many hours on design, construction, and testing of their vehicles.
Robert Moses Middle School student Kevin Tong won first place in the Maglev Appearance Category sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Kevin’s Maglev model exhibited excellent craftsmanship and performance.
The students also had the pleasure of meeting scientists Gordon Danby and James Powell, the inventors of Maglev who patented the technology in 1968.
