STEM Innovation Lab
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy’s STEM Innovation Lab is a central maker-space for all students to develop and grow their natural curiosity through hands-on projects focusing on STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math). Our STEM Learning and Innovation Specialist collaborates with students and faculty members from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 to provide resources to build on the concepts learned in the classroom.
Through project-based learning, students are identifying solutions to social, environmental and personal problems to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subject area that they are studying. Translating an idea into another medium requires them to gain a true understanding of the project's complexities and its parts, resulting in a higher level of understanding. By encouraging students to create and construct solutions to real-world problems, they are learning to invent and inventing to learn - all while developing important skills like brainstorming, critical thinking and collaboration.
Courses
Equipment and Software
- 3-D Printers and Scanners
- Laser Cutters
- CNC Router
- LatheMill
- Injection Molder
- Vacuum Former
- Soldering and Electronics Equipment Components
- Arduino Microcontrollers
- Autodesk Fusion 360
- Autodesk Inventor
- Adobe Illustrator
- SolidWorks
- Tinkercad
STEM News
Jack Hutchinson '20 is gearing up to take part in Georgia Tech's InVenture Prize competition, as he looks to fulfill his lifelong entrepreneurial aspirations.
Middle School students are busy in the STEM Innovation Lab as they participate in two competitions that will put their skills to the test.
Chris Woleben '89 is dedicated to helping VCU medical students succeed, particularly through the Residency Match process, which is why it's so very appropriate that he's been named the inaugural appointee to the Hugo R. Seibel Teaching Professorship.
Tessa Lanzafame '19 is one step closer to publishing research on herbivorous insects after presenting some of her findings at the University of Mary Washington's Summer Science Institute.
Kudos to Alexandra Stenson ’24 for being selected to participate in a two-week summer residential program at Virginia Tech, Black Engineering Excellence at Virginia Tech (BEE VT)!
Kudos to Violet Johnston ’23 for being one of six students selected to participate in The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Governor's School, a four-week summer residential school provided in cooperation with The Center for Gifted Education at William & Mary.
Alumna Madi Wilson '18 is a third-year nursing student at the University of Virginia and was recently featured on the university's website after visiting with the baby whose birth she witnessed during the first day of her clinical rotation in labor and delivery.
Dr. Ralph Howell '78, Dr. Dani Howell '06 and Lauren Billings '03 were recently featured in Inside Business about navigating the pandemic and continuing to serve patients at Howell Comprehensive General Dentistry, A Division of Atlantic Dental Care, PLC.
A number of schools across the country are trying the robotic technology out for the first time, including Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. This technology has become increasingly popular in K-12 classrooms during the pandemic, thanks to hybrid or blended learning models, where some students are in the classroom while others watch from home.
Online learning is not a new concept for students at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, but the length of time they will have to use it is new. While NSA has a virtual learning plan that it has used in cases of inclement weather, when it closed school due to the coronavirus pandemic, the school held off on virtual learning for a week. Rather than rush right in, faculty took time to research additional online tools to deliver lessons, to practice using them and to create lessons for several weeks.