In Viktoriya Yurkiv’s Physics: Applications of Biotechnology class, students brought physics and engineering to life by building working trebuchet prototypes. Goggles on and notebooks open, teams designed frames with dowels and craft sticks, added a sling and counterweight, and then headed to the launch zone to put their designs to the test.
Why are Applications of Biotechnology students building trebuchets?
Biotechnology begins with learning core physical science—motion, forces, energy transfer, measurement, and data analysis—so students are ready to launch into the bioscience units ahead. The trebuchet lab teaches students how initial launching conditions and an external gravitational field influence a projectile motion, while constructing explanations and designing solutions.
What students did

• Collected three trials of data (hang time and range) and sketched redesigns to improve performance.
• Applied key concepts—projectile motion, external force, gravitation/elastic potential energy, mechanical advantage—to hitting a target precisely and accurately.  
• Practiced the engineering design cycle: build → test → analyze → iterate (and try again!).

Ask your Applications of Bioscience student: Which change—arm length, sling angle, or counterweight—made the biggest difference in your trebuchet’s range?
Kudos to Ms. Yurkiv for designing a lab that’s hands-on, high-engagement, and rich with real-world science.

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Do you have a CFSD story worth sharing? Email Julie Farbarik at jfarbarik@cfsd16.org