Photos courtesy of High Voltage
What is your name?
Tanner Simon
What is the name of your club?
High Voltage
What is your role within the club?
I’m currently the Vice President
When did you first get involved in the club?
I co-founded the club with Brandon Huey the first month of our first year at Elizabethtown College. Our goal was to create an engineering club that students of all backgrounds and majors could get involved in — I, myself, am a history major. I was the first president, but stepped back due to other obligations sophomore year.
What activities take place during club meetings?
During meetings, the High Voltage club typically works on projects. Currently we have been experimenting with a giant Tesla Coil and last semester we were doing Lichtenstein burnings. We also take small projects from the community — at the moment we are repairing part of a model train set for a holiday train exhibition. We also occasionally host mini educational sessions to talk about the fundamentals of electricity and how to safely handle high voltages.
Does your club host any events?
The High Voltage club hosts Tesla Coil demonstrations and the long run “assassin” game where each participating engineering student gets another engineering student as a target, and essentially they have to “eliminate” them by throwing a balled up sock at them, or by showing them a spoon.
What is your favorite memory in your club?
My favorite memory is either 1) the filming of our promotional movie during the spring semester of 2017. We filmed a high-octane, high-action thriller-movie trailer aptly namer “Direct Current.” Essentially, it follows a devilishly handsome hero’s struggle against The Man. Tied for my favorite memory, during the club’s gestation period, Brandon helped me continue my research concerning the collection of atmospheric electricity via a kite. Yes — we are talking some Ben Franklin/Dalibard [stuff]. The night was dark and the clouds thick and [swollen] with rain. Winds and sharp droplets of water battered our faces as we struggled to keep the kite wire from snapping. The wire did snap and Brandon and I had to chase it across the Brinser Field up toward the Vera Hackman Apartments parking lot. However, from the three tests I’ve conducted so far, it seems that fair weather produces more power than stormy weather.
Why should someone join your club?
People should join our club if they like or are curious about how electricity works. We do a lot of hands-on activities and projects that produce instant gratification, so there is little incentive not to join. We are especially proud to boast that we welcome students from all academic backgrounds — the only requirement is an inquisitive mind.
