How to STEM: Demonstrating NDT to Students in 30 Minutes or Less

摘要

The acronym STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has become very popular in educational settings. NDT (Nondestructive Testing) contains all four elements and can fit very well in a STEM curriculum or event. However, most NDT methods take considerable time to set up or perform. Demonstrating even a single NDT method in venues such as classrooms and career fairs, where the amount of time available with any particular guest or student is very limited, presents special challenges. In a classroom, a single class period of 45 minutes or so is often all that's available. In a career fair setting, a single visitor may only remain for a few minutes, while an organized group might stay for ten or fifteen minutes. A comprehensive explanation and demonstration simply doesn't fit in such a short time. It is possible to present a complete description of an NDT method given such time constraints, if proper preparation and planning are performed. The objective of this paper is to outline techniques for preparing and presenting such descriptions in school and career fair settings.