Flash to the Finish In this unit, students will be dropped in a random location in Hawaii. They must design the most effective route for participants to meet at a central finish point. They will need to know their surroundings and understand various topographic features of the land. Students will focus on the characteristics of…
Read more
Who You Gonna Call? Mousebusters! Disruptive and harmful pests are a nuisance and becoming more of a problem as humans continue to develop land that was once their home. Exterminators and pest control professionals need to continue to develop new and humane ways to trap and relocate these critters. This unit’s focus is the design…
Read more
Currently Adrift Student teams will investigate the effects of temperature on water density. Using this knowledge, students will then design a current to carry a raft to a nearby island. Using the video data collected during the design challenge, they will apply ratios and proportions to create a map of the raft’s movement. Teams will…
Read more
Space Age Wisdom In October 2012, a parachute jumper took a leap of science and stepped off a platform from an altitude of close to 24 miles above the Earth’s surface, breaking the 1959 space jump record. The parachute jumper’s team helped him to reach these heights with a helium balloon attached to a space…
Read more
Pollution Solution: Community Aquifer Contaminants Students will assume the role of an environmental engineering EPA officer for this lesson. They will investigate a contaminated off-site residential property and will try to determine the source of contamination. Surrounding the property are Wright Patterson Air Force Base, a dry cleaner, and a corporate farm. Students will investigate…
Read more
In this unit, students will compare the structural integrity of various shapes and materials in designing a temporary shelter. When the weather turns extreme, homeless shelters can exceed capacity. In an effort to best prepare homeless shelters to support community homeless needs, students will be tasked to design a temporary structure for a single user.…
Read more
Stop Stomping on Me Student engineering teams assist a city that is building a new soccer field for the World Cup competition. To protect the city’s precious groundwater, the city requires a field that is as environmentally sustainable as possible but also meets the needs of professional players. Students are challenged to design the optimum…
Read more
“Fish-y” Gardening In this 7th grade unit, student teams design and construct a small/micro-scale symbiotic aquaponic system that can be used by populations lacking natural resources needed to provide and cultivate a sustainable, nutrient-rich food source. This unit engages students in participating in an engineering design challenge in which they create a viable farming method…
Read more
Fire Safety Impact Systems In this unit, students will explore the relationships between force, motion, and gravity as they team up with Underwriters Laboratories to create a prototype for use in emergency situations, such as a house fire, to break a person’s fall. Teams of students will work collaboratively to employ the engineering design process…
Read more
Around the Windows: Looking Through Stained Glass Students ware engaged in various inquiries to build an understanding of wavelengths and energy transfer. They also incorporate geometry, problem solving, writing, early civilization influences, and technology skills. Teams of students create a stained glass window jar in order to discover which light wave is most efficient in…
Read more
