At Lenoir City High School, there are a variety of engineering courses available for students to take. One of those courses is the Senior Engineering and Design class.

This class performs multiple projects and assignments, and most include the need of professional engineering skills.

At the moment, the class is working on two projects, the first being a robotics contest.

The class was split into four different teams, each team building something different. The teams are currently constructing the robots.

The second project the class will be working on is a high-altitude space balloon competition. The class received a $1,500 grant from Tate and Lyle Science and Math through the Loudon County Education Foundation.

Two groups will be competing to observe which group can develop the balloon that will rise to the highest altitude.

“We’re expecting the balloons to go about 10 miles up”, said Mr. Smith, the teacher of the SED class,“when you get that high up, it will look like footage from a space station”.

They will recover the balloons with a satellite tracking system.

Beccah Blevins (12), a student in the engineering program, said she enjoys the class.

“Anybody who’s interested in how things work, how to make improvements, and how to solve problems should join”, she said.