Contributed CREATORS — Edison High School students, including, from left, Zach Trimble, Trevor Rudy and Jayden Kelly, created festive fall projects for fun and to learn some fundamentals in their digital engineering course.

RICHMOND — Students at Edison High School’s new digital engineering course put their skills to use to create a festive project for the fall season.

Derek Gulling, math and engineering teacher at EHS, said nine juniors and seniors completed a pumpkin project where they fashioned components for their autumnal assignment and honed their abilities in the process.

“The students were given kits from Chaney Electronics and they had to solder each of the components into place,” Gulling said. “The project allowed them to practice their soldering skills while creating something to take home that is relevant to the fall season. The project works through an integrated circuit consisting of resistors, capacitors, and integrated chips. It lights up and makes a sound when built correctly.”

He added that the project was part of the brand-new engineering course, which falls within the school’s career-tech pathways to help equip students for future careers in the ever-evolving workforce. Digital engineering refers to the study of the fundamentals of electronic circuits that process digital and analog signals. It has been described as the integration of digital technology and data-driven models to design, develop and manage complex systems that can be used in artificial intelligence, automation and more. Many industries are modernizing to utilize the method, including aerospace, automotive and manufacturing.

Gulling said the project, which is among many students will complete throughout the school year, will enable them to build upon their capabilities.

“They practice soldering skills and required discipline to place components like resistors, capacitors, and integrated chips in the proper polarity,” he noted, saying students learn to focus and utilize their knowledge.

He added that they enjoyed completing the pumpkin project, as well.

“All of them complimented the project, citing its required challenge to solder numerous components,” he continued. “The class, as a whole, was started to continue our course offerings in the engineering CTE program.”