Dr. Nghia Le, an engineering teacher at Booker T. Washington High School, and his students were featured on Engines of Our Ingenuity, a regular segment from the University of Houston College of Engineering. Click here to listen to the episode, which aired today on KUHF.

In the episode, Dr. Andrew Boyd of the UH Department of Industrial Engineering describes how he met Dr. Le and explored his classroom during a recent open house. He says a large centrifuge, among several hands-on engineering projects on display in his classroom, was an “ingenious” solution because the students had to design it using a converted washing machine and make the modifications themselves.

“Students aren’t given carefully crafted assignments. They’re expected to come up with their own. When they run into problems, Le’s happy to provide guidance, but never a solution. Students get plenty of math and science as mandated by the state board of education. But Le’s engineering class is important because, as one student told me, it ‘opens their minds.’ Calculating the trajectory of a rocket comes alive when the rocket is real and within arm’s reach. Hands-on experience also provides an appreciation of calculus and the laws of physics that shape a rocket’s flight path.”

Click here for the complete transcript.