My 7th Grade Science Project

I attended Eric Smith Junior High in Ramsey, NJ. I took a drafting class in the 7th grade; probably my precursor to my chosen field of engineering (like my dad). One day I came home from my class with an 11 x 17 sheet of heavy paper and an assignment to turn it into the tallest structure possible without using any glue or tape or adhesive. Most kids just cut the paper into a couple of big pieces and folded them and tried to stack and balance them to 34 inches. Those kids all had regular dads. I had Edwin Phillips, the genius.

My dad didn't even take 30 seconds to know that he could design a structure unlike that ever seen in any middle school in northern New Jersey. He was on it in no time. He took that paper and had me mark it and cut it into ¼" strips lengthwise, and then fold each strip in half lengthwise to make a slender paper angle, just like the shape of a steel beam. He then had me cut points into one end of each angle and put a small slice in the other end. Insert the pointed end of one angle into the slot on the end of the next angle and you've now got yourself a 34 inch angle beam. Can you picture it? We weaved them together into beams and columns, horizontally and vertically, starting with a wide footprint at the base and tapering to a point at the top. Think of a scale model of the Eiffel Tower; that's what we were making.

My mom and I carried the pieces to school in a cardboard box and when assembled, we had three 17" sections that stacked atop one another, each section narrower and gradually tapering into the one that sat upon it. We added a 17" antenna to the top and voila, we had a 68 inch tall structure! It was awesome, and I knew that my dad had created the tower that they would talk about at Eric Smith Junior High for years, perhaps even generations, to come.

I was never so proud in my life to be Edwin Phillips' son. I think the next day he designed a huge ship for fun...