Only Thor is supposed to be able to lift Mjollnir. (That’s the name of his hammer.) At Lake Charles charter schools, a new force is emerging to challenge that myth. Students have created their own Thor’s hammers as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program.

“It’s all part of engaging the students,” said Julian Guillory, STEM director for LCCP, Lake Charles Charter Academy and Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy. “You can teach a sixth grade science lesson with a magnet and paper clips, the magnetized paper clips form a chain, right? Nothing wrong with that. But when students create their own Thor’s hammer using 3-D printing and an electromagnet, they won’t be able to pick it up, because they’re not Thor, right. No, because they have to sever the connection first.”

Guillory, who demonstrates how to pick up the hammer, is a bit of a force of nature himself. He calls his job fun. He keeps students connected to content, and when they react to instruction with the speed of a typical teen he keeps them directed. He was an assistant principal for Calcasieu Parish School Board before taking on his new role, which will allow him a certain amount of creativity.

“Tomorrow (today) we have our first STEM EXPO here,” he said.

Originally, he wanted to show the public everything the students are doing, and realized his idea was a bit “grandiose,” especially considering the past two school years.

“We’ve had a lot of starts and stops with the hurricanes and COVID,” he said. “And subject matter like this, you have to be at school.”

Still, it’s interesting to see the results. In addition to Thor’s hammer, visitors to the EXPO will see a lifesize version of an Iron Man suit. With the school’s seven 3-D printers, each piece was printed, sanded, painted, assembled and then wired for LED lights. Every year the model will get additional technology and/or mechanical improvements. So, don’t expect a Thor’s hammer to be thrown at the suit, as a recent Avenger comic detailed.

In addition to STEM, Lake Charles College Prep offers information technology as a career pathway. Visitors will get to see creative canvas composite displays of what students have accomplished with Adobe Suite certification.

Triple A Tier video games have been coded. Robotics are part of the program and thanks to a United States Department of Defense Grant, and to Mark Arseneault, Regional Stem Director and Darren Dotson who brought the availability of the grant to Guillory’s attention, LCCP students have done some drone coding and will be ready with a simple demo for the EXPO.

“We’re always doing something, coming up with new ideas,” he said. “I often ask myself what a STEM program must look like in a place like California, for instance” he asked.

He wants to head a program that not only prepares students to work in industry, but also to open opportunities for students to have careers in artificial intelligence, data analysis and software engineering.

For now, he’s setting up his first STEM gallery walk in a beautiful, brand-new school, and it’s possible a few of the folks who will attend thought the magnet and paper clip experiment was plenty cool, never imagined Marvel Comic Book characters could be used to teach science, and have never seen what a 3-D printer can do.

The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. today, March 30 at LCCP.