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Engineering whiz kid
csantee@journalnet.com
CHUBBUCK -- Though Ronnie Barraza is just 8 years old, he has designed and built working models of army tanks, construction cranes, roller coasters and more. Ronnie uses a toy construction system called K'NEX to accomplish his engineering marvels, which often include miniature motors to set them into motion. Sometimes he takes his smaller contraptions to his third-grade class at Ellis Elementary for show and tell. The pint-sized engineering whiz said he hasn't thought much about a future career, but he admires a man he read about who makes motors for toys.
"He gets paid to build toys!" Ronnie said. "To me, that's what I want to do." Ronnie's siblings are happy he discovered a love for K'NEX after quickly growing bored with Legos. He once disassembled his sister's miniature skateboard and lost one of the wheels.
Sometimes he uses his real tool set to swap parts on a pair of the family's bicycles. He said when he was finished, the results were less than he had hoped for. One of his most recent creations with K'NEX is a crane that required three motors for lifting.
"It was humungo," Ronnie said, stretching his arms far apart to describe its size. For Christmas, he only has one item on his wish list. He recently saw an advertisement for a remote controlled, experimental airplane. Of course, assembly is required.
"It comes in pieces and I would have to build it," Ronnie said. "Then I could fly it." By Casey Santee
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