Academics

Classes

Hands-on engineering and technology curriculum split across trimesters at Bergen County Academies. Coursework spans the full build cycle — from design and simulation to fabrication and testing.

Intro to Engineering Design Project
Trimester 1

Introduction to Engineering Design

Foundation of the engineering sequence. Covered the full design process — problem framing, ideation, prototyping, and iteration. Heavy emphasis on technical drawing and Autodesk Inventor CAD.

Makerspace
Trimester 2

Makerspace

Fabrication course centered on the school makerspace. Trained on oscillating sander, band saw, drill press, laser cutter, CNC mill, and hand tools. Projects focused on producing functional, utilitarian parts.

Electronics
Trimester 3

Electronics

Fundamentals of electronic components including TIP120 transistors, 555 timers, inductors, transducers, resistors, capacitors, LEDs, diodes, and motors. Iterative lab work building practical circuit-building skills.

Mechatronics Research Trimester 2
Trimester 2

Mechatronics Research

Established research direction, studied innovation methodology, wrote a research plan, conducted patent searches, drafted an abstract, and compiled an initial parts list. Settled on a quadrupedal robot as the primary project.

Mechatronics Research Trimester 3
Trimester 3

Mechatronics Research

Full CAD development of APEX through repeated design iterations. Refer to the Projects page for full documentation.

Alternative Energy
Trimester 2

Alternative Energy

Designed and built a spinning magnet rotor generator connected to a wind turbine. Generator produced voltage but output was limited by hand-wound coils.

Rocketry Rocket
Trimester 3

Rocketry

Designed a custom water rocket with optimized nose cone and fin geometry. Used Autodesk CFD to run drag simulations, achieving a drag coefficient of 0.22.

Foundations of Computer Science (Java)
Trimester 1-3

Foundations of Computer Science (Java)

Three trimesters covering Java fundamentals through intermediate topics. Projects included Plinko, Sky Intruders, and a physics-based bouncing ball simulation.