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Determining Densities
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Students use two different methods to determine the densities of a variety of materials and objects. The first method involves direct measurement of the volumes of objects that have simple geometric shapes. The second is the water displacement method, used to determine the volumes of irregularly shaped objects. After the densities are determined, students create x-y scatter graphs of mass versus volume, which reveal that objects with densities less than water (floaters) lie above the graph's diagonal (representing the density of water), and those with densities greater than water (sinkers) lie below the diagonal.

Author:
Engineering K-PhD Program,
Mary R. Hebrank (project writer and consultant)
Dinosaur Breath
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Through discussion and hands-on experimentation, students learn about the geological (ancient) carbon cycle. They investigate the role of dinosaurs in the carbon cycle and the eventual storage of carbon in the form of chalk. Students discover how the carbon cycle has been occurring for millions of years and is necessary for life on Earth. Finally, they may extend their knowledge to the concept of global warming and how engineers are working to understand the carbon cycle and reduce harmful CO2 emissions.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Lauren Cooper
The Dirty Water Project
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In this activity, students investigate different methods (aeration and filtering) for removing pollutants from water. They will design and build their own water filters.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Amy Kolenbrander
Jessica Todd
Do Ptarmigans Have Snowshoes?
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Students learn about the amazing adaptations of the ptarmigan to the alpine tundra. They focus one adaptation, the feathered feet of the ptarmigan, and ask whether the feathers serve to only keep the feet warm or to also provide the bird with floatation capability. They create model ptarmigan feet, with and without feathers, and test the hypothesis on the function of the feathers. Ultimately, students make a claim about whether the feathers provide floatation and support this claim with their testing evidence.

Author:
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder,
Chelsea Heveran
Does Contact Area Matter?
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Using the same method for measuring friction that was used in the previous lesson (Discovering Friction), students design and conduct experiments to determine if the amount of area over which an object contacts a surface it is moving across affects the amount of friction encountered.

Author:
Engineering K-PhD Program,
Mary R. Hebrank (project writer and consultant)
Does My Model Valve Stack up to the Real Thing?
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Following the steps of the iterative engineering design process, student teams use what they learned in the previous lessons and activity in this unit to research and choose materials for their model heart valves and test those materials to compare their properties to known properties of real heart valve tissues. Once testing is complete, they choose final materials and design and construct prototype valve models, then test them and evaluate their data. Based on their evaluations, students consider how they might redesign their models for improvement and then change some aspect of their models and retest aiming to design optimal heart valve models as solutions to the unit's overarching design challenge. They conclude by presenting for client review, in both verbal and written portfolio/report formats, summaries and descriptions of their final products with supporting data.

Author:
Michael Duplessis
VU Bioengineering RET Program, School of Engineering, Vanderbilt University,
Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Sweetness?
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In the first part of the activity, each student chews a piece of gum until it loses its sweetness, and then leaves the gum to dry for several days before weighing it to determine the amount of mass lost. This mass corresponds to the amount of sugar in the gum, and can be compared to the amount stated on the package label. In the second part of the activity, students work in groups to design and conduct new experiments based on questions of their own choosing. These questions arise naturally from observations during the first experiment, and from students' own experiences with and knowledge of the many varieties of chewing and bubble gums available.

Author:
Mary R. Hebrank (project writer and consultant)
Engineering K-Ph.D. Program,
Don't Confuse Your Qs!
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Students investigate the difference between qualitative and quantitative measurements and observations. By describing objects both qualitatively and quantitatively, they learn that both types of information are required for complete descriptions. Students discuss the characteristics of many objects, demonstrating how engineers use both qualitative and quantitative information in product design.

Author:
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Megan Schroeder
Denise W. Carlson
Dress for Success
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In this design activity, students investigate materials engineering as it applies to weather and clothing. Teams design and analyze different combinations of materials for effectiveness in specific weather conditions. Analysis includes simulation of temperature, wind and wetness elements, as well as the functionality and durability of final prototypes.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Glen Sirakavit
Marissa Forbes
Drifting Continents
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This activity is a teacher-led demonstration of continental drift and includes a math worksheet for students involving the calculation of continental drift over time. Students will understand what continental drift is, why it occurs, and how earthquakes occur because of it.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Melissa Straten
Jessica Todd
Earth Impact
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This activity poses the question: What would happen if a meteor or comet impacted Earth? Students simulate an impact in a container of sand using various-sized rocks, all while measuring, recording and graphing results and conclusions. Then students brainstorm ways to prevent an object from hitting the Earth.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Brian Kay
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Karen King
Earthquake in the Classroom
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Students learn how engineers construct buildings to withstand damage from earthquakes by building their own structures with toothpicks and marshmallows. Students test how earthquake-proof their buildings are by testing them on an earthquake simulated in a pan of Jell-O(TM).

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Melissa Straten
Jessica Todd
Echolocation in Action!
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In this activity, students will experience echolocation themselves. They actually try echolocation by wearing blindfolds while another student makes snapping noises in front of, behind, or to the side of them.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Abigail Watrous
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Frank Burkholder
Edible Rovers
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Students act as Mars exploratory rover engineers. They evaluate rover equipment options and determine what parts fit in a provided NASA budget. With a given parts list, teams use these constraints to design for their rover. The students build and display their edible rover at a concluding design review.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Geoffrey Hill
Denise W. Carlson
Daria Kotys-Schwartz
Chris Yakacki
Edible Rovers – High School
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Students act as Mars exploratory rover engineers, designing, building and displaying their edible rovers to a design review. To begin, they evaluate rover equipment and material options to determine which parts might fit in their given NASA budget. With provided parts and material lists, teams analyze their design options and use their findings to design their rovers.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Geoffrey Hill
Ben Sprague
Denise W. Carlson
Daria Kotys-Schwartz
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program and Laboratory,
Chris Yakacki
Eek, It leaks!
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Students construct model landfill liners using tape and strips of plastic, within resource constraints. The challenge is to construct a bag that is able to hold a cup of water without leaking. This represents similar challenges that environmental engineers face when piecing together liners for real landfills that are acres and acres in size.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Melissa Straten
Egg-cellent Landing
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The purpose of this activity is to recreate the classic egg-drop experiment with an analogy to the Mars rover landing. The concept of terminal velocity will be introduced, and students will perform several velocity calculations. Also, students will have to design and build their lander within a pre-determined budget to help reinforce a real-world design scenario.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Geoffrey Hill
Daria Kotys-Schwartz
Chris Yakacki
Elasticity & Young's Modulus for Tissue Analysis
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As part of the engineering design process to create testable model heart valves, students learn about the forces at play in the human body to open and close aortic valves. They learn about blood flow forces, elasticity, stress, strain, valve structure and tissue properties, and Young's modulus, including laminar and oscillatory flow, stress vs. strain relationship and how to calculate Young's modulus. They complete some practice problems that use the equations learned in the lesson mathematical functions that relate to the functioning of the human heart. With this understanding, students are ready for the associated activity, during which they research and test materials and incorporate the most suitable to design, build and test their own prototype model heart valves.

Author:
Michael Duplessis
VU Bioengineering RET Program, School of Engineering, Vanderbilt University,
Electromagnetic Radiation
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Students are presented with a hypothetical scenario that delivers the unit's Grand Challenge Question: To apply an understanding of nanoparticles to treat, detect and protect against skin cancer. Towards finding a solution, they begin the research phase by investigating the first research question: What is electromagnetic energy? Students learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, ultraviolet radiation (including UVA, UVB and UVC rays), photon energy, the relationship between wave frequency and energy (c = λν), as well as about the Earth's ozone-layer protection and that nanoparticles are being used for medical applications. The lecture material also includes information on photo energy and the dual particle/wave model of light. Students complete a problem set to calculate frequency and energy.

Author:
VU Bioengineering RET Program, School of Engineering, Vanderbilt University,
Michelle Bell, Amber Spolarich
Endocrine Excitement!
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In this activity, students are divided into a group of hormones and a group of receptors. The hormones have to find their matching receptors, and the pair, once matched, perform a given action. This activity helps students learn about the specificity of hormone-receptor interactions within the endocrine system.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Melissa Straten
Abigail Watrous