The Goal
RISE (Rocketry Introduction for Student Education) was founded in fall of 2017 to create an inclusive and welcoming club environment for new members while educating members on the basics of rocket engineering and the design process with a strong foundation in safety. The program also facilitates a smooth transition into one of Rocket Project's teams and promotes mentorship between new and experienced club members.
Who?
Participants have been a majority 1st year and transfer students, nearly all of whom are new to rocket engineering. No experience is expected and there is no cost to participate. Nearly 100 students participated in each of the first 2 years of the program and >50% remain as active members in Rocket Project.
Outcomes
As of Spring of 2019 >75% of active members in Rocket Project have participated in the RISE program.
The program was deemed so effective and is in such high demand that it has become an official 2-unit course in the MAE department catalog through the Engineering 96 program. The RISE sections of the ENGR 96 program are still taught and directly overseen by members and advisors of Rocket Project at UCLA.
How?
The course is structured as a weekly 3 hour meeting split evenly between learning the physics and design practices of rocket engineering and physically constructing rockets. The first 4 weeks are dedicated to students in pairs designing, CADing, and fully 3D printing small (~8 inch) rockets propelled by A-class solid motors. For the remaining 6 weeks, the students, in groups of 4-5, design larger G-class solid rockets. They manufacture these using a variety of materials including carbon fiber, wood, PLA, and acrylic.
