The IGNITE Program is for enthusiastic high school students who are interested in exploring the world of science and technology while developing essential skills of various types. The IGNITE Program contains generalized and specialized courses that either help students explore STEM topics to discover their interests, or focus on a specific subject matter to master a skill.

Intro to CAD is a 10-week course in which high school students (Grades 9 – 12) will explore and become fluent in Computer Aided Design (CAD)! CAD modeling is a popular technique used in many engineering related fields to help engineers test models and ideas in simulations to reduce time, effort and costs related to testing in real life.

In this course, we take learners on a journey to the engineering design process, through which they will create, modify, optimize and analyze 3D structures. Students will learn and apply fundamental mathematical and physics concepts including cartesian planes, coordinate systems and Newtonian physics (forces) that are part of the Ontario Math curriculum. Participants will learn the basic to complex sophisticated tools in the FreeCAD design software to be able to design customized 3D objects of varying complexity, beginning with simple objects and progressing to more complex ones.

In addition to designing objects, learners will perform advanced level analysis on their designs such as assembly and Finite Element Analysis (FEA), similar to how these tools are used in the real world to perform stress tests on models to evaluate assumptions about design. In addition to many smaller projects that progressively develop their 3D modeling skills and toolkit, students will complete a summative project in which they will design, optimize and analyze a Solar Sail. Learners will also explore many topics related to aerospace sciences such as aerodynamics, spacecraft designs and space missions!