Failure is an inevitable part of learning. In fact, the Next Generation Science Standards (which includes both science and engineering) describe the engineering and design process as involving redesigning and optimizing solutions. This process relies on failure to guide continuous improvement, as testing and experimentation are crucial for improving designs. This is why many Boeing Academy for STEM Learning (BASL) programs and activities at The Museum of Flight have room for experiential learning built in, and why BASL Educators recognize their roles in supporting this learning.
“Especially for younger campers, perceived difficulty with a challenge can mount quickly and become overwhelming. Understanding, patience, empathy and flexibility on the part of the educator always make at least some difference and can help free learners who feel caught in dilemmas between absolutes,” said Em Friedman, Aviation Learning Center Program Supervisor.
One example of this can be seen in an in-person adaptation of Boeing Academy for STEM Learning’s Suited for Space program, in which students explore the stages of spacesuit design. Using everyday materials, they create a spacesuit for a marshmallow “astronaut,” then put it to the test in a vacuum chamber. A successful spacesuit will prevent the marshmallow from puffing up as air is removed from the chamber, but an unsuccessful suit will result in an inflated test treat.
While many first-try spacesuits are successful, not all are winners right off the bat. Luckily, Suited for Space offers a second try. Senior Museum Educator Connor Alvarez described a time when a student was disappointed in how their design turned out at first: “I don’t think the student truly felt better until, after explaining how failure is a part of science and that real scientists redesign thousands of times, I let them know that it is okay to feel sad about failure too. I told them they would get to build a second design, as that is how the program runs, and their second spacesuit met their design standards – to the delight of the student, as well as me.”
After their first test, students retrieve their marshmallows—whether their suit worked or not—and then, equipped with the lessons learned from their first attempt, they either craft a new suit or improve their first design.
Boeing Academy for STEM Learning’s high school programs also allow students to experiment and apply what they learn if things do not work the first time. Aeronautical Science Pathway (ASP) is a two-year long program that prepares high school juniors and seniors for a career in aviation and allows them to earn three high school and 60 college credits. During the second year of the program, students complete two semester-long airport design projects in teams under the guidance of ASP instructors and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) managers.
In the first semester of ASP II, students work with each other to address a specific need by SEA, such as redesigning the security checkpoint or planning the layout of an entire concourse. After two months of research and planning under the guidance of ASP instructors, students present their rough plans to SEA airport managers, who provide feedback, challenging students to consider the practical application of their designs. At this point, plans undergo major changes, and some teams even choose to restart the entire project completely. The students present their final plans to their instructors and SEA airport managers at the end of the semester. In the spring, they take what they learned from the first semester’s project to design an entire airport about the size of Portland International Airport (PDX), which follows a similar planning and revision process.
ASP teaches students important lessons about research, teamwork and implementing constructive feedback. Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year opens in the spring, but interested students and their caregivers can attend information sessions this fall. Two virtual information sessions will be offered on October 22 and December 10, and one in-person session will take place on November 19. To RSVP for the ASP information session or to learn more about the program, visit http://www.museumofflight.org/ASP.
Ultimately, these examples only scratch the surface of how BASL programs include opportunities for developing an understanding of the design process. From Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) to Aerospace Camp Experience (ACE), students are challenged to overcome obstacles. That, BASL Educators know, is what makes the struggle worth it for the students – that moment of triumph when they find a solution or connect the dots in a new way.
