High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025
S.O.A.R: Stomp-powered Orbital Air Rockets
Files
Course Code
SPC
Course Number
1603
Faculty/Instructor
Dr. Adam Parrish
Faculty/Instructor Email
adam.parrish@ucf.edu
Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement
Biannually, UCF hosts STEM Day, where K-12 students engage in interactive displays and presentations on STEM topics. The objective of our project was to use stomp rockets to enable students to apply basic physics forces in a fun, engaging way that aligns with their curriculum. We applied concepts from our Fundamentals of Technical Presentations course, such as audience analysis and tailoring, to make our presentation engaging and memorable for our different audiences.
For our interactive presentation, we started with a quick lesson on drag, lift, and thrust on a rocket. Then, we guided each student group through building their own paper stomp rockets with customizable fin shapes and placements. When they finished construction, they were able to launch their rocket outside and adjust trajectories by changing the launcher’s angle, applying the lessons they recently learned.
From this project, we gained a deeper understanding of the importance of volunteering in our community. As we taught students and witnessed them apply these lessons in real life, we saw the difference it made with their smiles, displays of creativity, and warm gratitude towards our project. Through our time at STEM Day, we could see how making engaging and memorable STEM lessons resonates with young audiences. Our roles as presenter volunteers made a difference in our Florida community.
Overall, our service learning project taught us the importance of community engagement. Beyond simply making memories, we ignited curiosity and creativity in the minds of our future generation of students, highlighting the importance of STEM education.
Keywords
STEM; Service-Learning; Rockets
Recommended Citation
Pompee, Valerie; Davis, Wendy; Blais, Thomas; and Lynch, Lincoln, "S.O.A.R: Stomp-powered Orbital Air Rockets" (2025). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025. 50.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2025fall/50