Gregory Lakey

Lakey’s innovative teaching idea, “Quadratics Through Rocketry,” focuses on providing a hands-on approach to understanding abstract concepts, such as quadratic equations, trigonometry and physics. Through designing and building a rocket, and then measuring and analyzing its flight, students are exposed to STEM concepts and learn how to apply them to real life situations. Building rockets from scratch can be very expensive, as there is a tremendous amount of trial and error involved in perfecting the apparatus, so Lakey hopes the Voya grant will enable him to build upon his rocketry project and establish a rocketry club that gives students the opportunity to compete in national rocketry competitions.