On May 7, Mr. Chris Knight, PLS, Dennis Corporation’s Survey Manager, spoke to Ms. Kathy Lord’s high school geometry class at the Midlands Home School Resource Center. During his lesson on applied trigonometry, he proved to the students that what they were learning in their math class was applicable in the real world, especially in the surveying industry.

Presenting a four part lesson plan on the surveying profession and the mathematics involved, Mr. Knight first provided a description of surveying, education requirements for surveyors and an introduction to the equipment.  He then showed the students a demonstration of triangulation to a remote point (a church steeple).  The third portion of the lesson focused on having the students work the math to compute the horizontal distance to the steeple then use the vertical angle to compute the height of the steeple. Mr. Knight concluded the lesson by describing how GPS works, including satellite orbit, speed and triangulation to determine position.

Following his presentation, Ms. Lord contacted Mr. Knight to inform him of the success of the lesson, stating, “Thank you so much for the excellent survey demonstration last week. The students thoroughly enjoyed your lecture and found the information about geodesy especially interesting.” She laughingly noted that she heard from several parents about the students enthusiasm on the subject. Specifically, a mother mentioned that her son fussed at her for referring to one of the survey team members as the  “guy holding the stick.” She found out from her son that it is actually a survey technician holding a prism pole. Due to the positive response from students and parents, Ms. Lord plans to invite Mr. Knight back again next year for an honors trigonometry lesson.

Mr. Knight enjoyed his experience teaching and admired the children’s enthusiasm for learning. He stated,  “It is so important for young people to be able to relate the lessons they are given in school to real world and life experiences. Unique demonstrations like this one open students’ minds to the opportunities around them, and the students remind more experienced professionals like me of the nature of youths’ curiosity and imagination, which inspired my own passion for this industry. It was a rewarding experience for all those involved.”

Dennis Corporation is proud that our employees take such an active role in our youths’ education. This is just one of the many ways that Dennis Corporation and its employees give back to the local community. During the past 3 years, Dennis Corporation has contributed to many local organizations and has donated in excess of $80,000 in addition to time volunteering to organizations that support the arts, health awareness, community athletics, schools, after school programs, government, churches, and political and professional organizations. Dennis Corporation is a South Carolina licensed civil engineering, surveying and construction management firm. Dennis Corporation’s specific fields of expertise include civil infrastructure, construction management, construction services, expert witness services, program management, intelligent transportation systems, special projects, surveying, traffic engineering and transportation engineering.