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With the press of a button, Theodore Donovan, 18, sent a 14-inch-long 3D printed rocket flying nearly 300 feet across Lengyel Field during a May 15 competition at the 91����.

But for Donovan and dozens of other Maine high school students, the event represented more than a rocket launch competition. It gave students hands-on engineering experience and exposed them to career opportunities in Maine’s growing STEM workforce.

For Donovan, the experience also reinforced his decision to attend 91���� next year, where he plans to study mechanical engineering technology. He said participating in the program gave him a firsthand look at the university’s engineering opportunities and campus community.

“91���� is really competitive with every engineering program in the country, and it’s right in my backyard,” said Donovan, a Presque Isle High School senior.

Students from Presque Isle, Hermon and Richmond high schools traveled to campus as part of the Black Bear Launch3D program, which connects Maine students with advanced engineering experiences. The program also helps build a pipeline of future workers for the state’s aerospace and defense industries, which currently support nearly 19,000 jobs in Maine, including around 9,600 direct jobs and another 9,300 supply-chain jobs, according to the Aerospace Industries Association.

Through the program, participants learn  how to design, simulate, prototype and test air-powered rockets using 3D printing and computer-aided design software. 91���� faculty work with teachers to provide training, equipment and curriculum support aimed at expanding STEM opportunities in Maine schools.

Ahmed Aboelezz, a 91���� assistant professor of mechanical engineering who founded and designed Black Bear Launch3D, said programs like this help students see engineering as an accessible career. Aboelezz initiated the program in partnership with the Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) and the Perloff Foundation to upgrade 3D printing outreach into a full-cycle engineering experience.

“I wanted to move beyond just printing a model,” Aboelezz said. “By bringing teachers to campus first to learn flight simulation and design, we created a way for students to experience the full engineering process—design, simulate, produce, and test. When they see the results of their decisions play out in real time at the competition, they start to see themselves as true engineers.”

In addition to building rockets, students learned about design iteration, troubleshooting, prototyping and manufacturing technologies that are increasingly used across modern industries. Teachers in the program have said the experience gave students opportunities to apply classroom concepts in collaborative and creative ways.

“Despite some clear conventions and limitations to the rocket design, the students have shown impressive creativity and innovation in their designs,” said Nicholas Stahl, a teacher at Hermon High School. “This has been doubly impressive considering most have little to no experience with physics, aerodynamics or the use of software like TinkerCAD to create physical prototypes.”

For Richmond High School junior Owen Tribbet, 16, the  engineering process, mathematical calculations and computer aided design employed in making the rockets for Friday’s competition will prepare him for a future career in mechanical engineering. 

“Just the experience. Having the knowledge of how some of it works,” he said. 

The Black Bear Launch3D program is offered by Maine College of Engineering and Computing in partnership with the Maine Space Grant consortium.

Story by William Bickford, graduate student writer. 

Contact: Taylor Ward, taylor.ward@maine.edu