Bluffton engineering class helping Bobcats on football field

When the camera Bluffton High School uses to film its football games was blown over by a gust of wind, breaking the camera mount, the Bobcats did what most teams would do.

They rigged something to make it work until a new part could be ordered.

But before ordering the part, coaches approached Cody Slaughter and Justin Robinson's second-level engineering class about a solution.

"They came to us," Robinson said. "Their camera mount was broken, and our students designed a new one on the computer. Then we fabricated a prototype and looked at it to see where we could improve it."

After making changes, the class is fabricating the revised product on their three-dimensional printer. The piece should be complete in time for Thursday evening's junior varsity game.

Bluffton's engineering program follows a national curriculum called Project Lead the Way, which allows students to explore engineering by applying skills and knowledge they've gained in the classroom to real-world problems.

"This was perfect," Robinson said. "We try to fit projects that fit the students in this course. And they get real-world experience solving problems."

Robinson added it allows the students to see their work put to use around the school and the community.

Head football coach Ken Cribb said the camera mount allows the staff to film from three different angles giving different coaches the view they need to help the Bobcats to perform to the best of their abilities.

The engineering class has now played a part in any success the team might experience as the season progresses. And in turn, they've helped contribute to success in their own futures.

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Bluffton engineering class helping Bobcats on football field."