Fluid Power Challenge and Daman Products Team Up to Inspire Middle School Students

The following is a letter from NFPA Board Member Larry Davis, President of Daman Products Company, Inc. sent to his community for support of the Fluid Power Challenge. It highlights the success and benefits of sponsoring an NFPA Fluid Power Challenge. It is reprinted here with permission.

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By Larry Davis
President
Daman Products Company, Inc.

Dear Friends of Applied Education,

Every once in a while we have the opportunity to be part of something wildly successful. The Fluid Power Challenge is one of those things. In our 5^th year of sponsoring an opportunity for 7^th & 8^th grade area students to experience mechanical and hydraulic engineering concepts, and be thrilled about it, is a homerun! Past teams report it is the hardest thing they have done in school and loved it!  With very little coaching, we give teams of 4 students a package containing wood, paper, glue, tubing, and syringes, send them off to design and build this year’s challenge machine which they will design around the defined work to be accomplished. It is real world as the competition requires time management, project planning, resource management, team dynamics, working to deadlines, testing and adjusting, exploration, overcoming obstacles, and working under the pressure of a deadline. Sound like the real world? Sound like skills that should be imbedded in school curriculum?

Last year was a record year for student and school participation, and included 130 kids and teams from the South Bend Community Schools, The Career Academy, Mishawaka, and ETHOS (a private group in Elkhart dedicated to science education). This year we expect to double participation, and impact more school systems. The beauty of this Challenge is its relative small cost per student.

$250 supports a team of 4 kids. It is inexpensive, but we can’t do it alone. If you supported this program last year, we thank you and hope you will do so again this year at or above last year’s contribution.  If you have not supported the Challenge, I hope you will become part of the financial support network. And join us at either the Challenge Workshop Days October 1 and 2, and/or the Challenge Day on December 5. Once you see the powerful impact of this program you will be hooked.

Please use this link to donate to the Daman Fluid Power Challenge: https://www.fundraise.com/fluid-power-challenge/daman-fluid-power-challenge

The Fluid Power Challenge is promoted through the National Fluid Power Association. More information about the Challenge can be found at https://www.nfpafoundation.org/fpchallenge/index.aspx.

♦  October 1 and 2, 9:00-1:30 – Fluid Power Challenge Workshop days.
♦  Location:  Daman Products – Founders Room

♦  December 5, 9:00-2:00 – Fluid Power Challenge Competition day.
♦  Location:  Ivy Tech Community College at South Bend, IN

Sincerely,

Larry Davis
President
Daman Products Company, Inc.
www.twitter.com/DamanProductsCo

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Upcoming Challenge Events are listed here. Feel free to attend one near your community.

For more information on sponsoring, hosting, or learning about the Fluid Power Challenge, contact Lynn Beyer at lbeyer@nfpa.com, (414) 778-3364.