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Conductivity
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Students make a simple conductivity tester using a battery and light bulb. They learn the difference between conductors and insulators of electrical energy as they test a variety of materials for their ability to conduct electricity.

Author:
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Sharon D. Perez-Suarez
Jeff Lyng
Denise Carlson
Considering Trade-Offs and Maximizing Efficiency in a Fast Food Restaurant
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Students are introduced to the idea of improving efficiency by examining a setting that is familiar to many teenagers fast food restaurants. More specifically, they learn about the concepts of trade-offs, constraints, increasing efficiency and systems thinking. They consider how to improve efficiency in a struggling restaurant through delegating tasks, restructuring employee responsibilities and revising a floor plan, all while working within limitations and requirements. Finally, students summarize and defend their suggested changes in argumentative essays.

Author:
NSF DRK-12 Project, College of Engineering, Utah State University,
Christina Sias, Amy A. Wilson, Alex Mejia
Cooking with the Sun
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Students learn about using renewable energy from the Sun for heating and cooking as they build and compare the performance of four solar cooker designs. They explore the concepts of insulation, reflection, absorption, conduction and convection.

Author:
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Geoffrey Hill
Jessica Butterfield
Sabre Duren
Jessica Todd
Jeff Lyng
Denise Carlson
Xochitl Zamora-Thompson
Cool Views
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Students learn the meaning of preservation and conservation and identify themselves and others as preservationists or conservationists in relation to specific environmental issues. They use Venn diagrams to clarify the similarities and differences in viewpoints. They see how an environmental point-of-view affects the approach to an engineering problem.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Amy Kolenbrander
Jessica Todd
Corn for Fuel?!
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In this activity, students examine how to grow plants the most efficiently. They imagine that they are designing a biofuels production facility and need to know how to efficiently grow plants to use in this facility. As a means of solving this design problem, they plan a scientific experiment in which they investigate how a given variable (of their choice) affects plant growth. They then make predictions about the outcomes and record their observations after two weeks regarding the condition of the plants' stem, leaves and roots. They use these observations to guide their solution to the engineering design problem. The biological processes of photosynthesis and transpiration are briefly explained to help students make informed decisions about planning and interpreting their investigation and its results.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Christopher Valenti
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Karen King
Cosmic Rhythm
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Students write poems using rhyme and meter as they come to understand the mechanical concept of rhythm, based on the principle of oscillation, in a broader biological and cultural context, as seen in dance and sports, poetry and other literary forms, and communication in general. Note: The literacy activities for the Mechanics unit are based on physical themes that have broad application to our experience in the world — concepts of rhythm, balance, spin, gravity, levity, inertia, momentum, friction, stress and tension.

Author:
Jane Evenson
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Denise W. Carlson
Cost Comparisons
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Students learn about the many types of expenses associated with building a bridge. Working like engineers, they estimate the cost for materials for a bridge member of varying sizes. After making calculations, they graph their results to compare how costs change depending on the use of different materials (steel vs. concrete). They conclude by creating a proposal for a city bridge design based on their findings.

Author:
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Natalie Mach
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Denise W. Carlson
Denali Lander
Jonathan S. Goode
Joe Friedrichsen
Couch Potato or Inertia Victim?
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Students design a simple behavioral survey, and learn basic protocol for primary research, survey design and report writing. Note: The literacy activities for the Mechanics unit are based on physical themes that have broad application to our experience in the world — concepts of rhythm, balance, spin, gravity, levity, inertia, momentum, friction, stress and tension.

Author:
Jane Evenson
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Denise Carlson
Create a Pinhole Camera
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In this activity, students construct their own pinhole camera to observe the behavior of light.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Frank Burkholder
Alison Pienciak
Luke Simmons
Abigail Watrous
Cutting Through Soil
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Students pretend they are agricultural engineers during the colonial period and design a miniature plow that cuts through a "field" of soil. They are introduced to the engineering design process and learn of several famous historical figures who contributed to plow design.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Jacob Crosby
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Dangerous Air
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By tracing the movement of radiation released during an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, students see how air pollution, like particulate matter, can become a global issue.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Natalie Mach
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Amy Kolenbrander
Denise Carlson
Tyman Stephens
Daylighting Design
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Students explore the many different ways that engineers provide natural lighting to interior spaces. They analyze various methods of daylighting by constructing model houses from foam core board and simulating the sun with a desk lamp. Teams design a daylighting system for their model houses based on their observations and calculations of the optimal use of available sunlight to their structure.

Author:
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Denise W. Carlson
Lauren Cooper
Landon B. Gennetten
Density Rainbow and the Great Viscosity Race
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Students explore the densities and viscosities of fluids as they create a colorful 'rainbow' using household liquids. While letting the fluids in the rainbow settle, students conduct 'The Great Viscosity Race,' another short experiment that illustrates the difference between viscosity and density. Later, students record the density rainbow with sketches and/or photography.

Author:
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Cody Taylor
Jean Hertzberg
Denise Carlson
Gala Camacho
Flow Visualization Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Design a Flying Machine
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The purpose of this activity is for the students to draw a design for their own flying machine. They will apply their knowledge of aircraft design and the forces acting on them. The students will start with a brainstorming activity where they come up with creative uses for every day objects. They will then use their creativity and knowledge of airplanes to design their own flying machine.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Geoffrey Hill
Tom Rutkowski
Alex Conner
Design a Net-Zero Energy Classroom
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Students create a concept design of their very own net-zero energy classroom by pasting renewable energy and energy-efficiency items into and around a pretend classroom on a sheet of paper. They learn how these items (such as solar panels, efficient lights, computers, energy meters, etc.) interact to create a learning environment that produces as much energy as it uses.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
William Surles
Design and Build a Rube Goldberg
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In this two-part activity, students design and build Rube Goldberg machines. This open-ended challenge employs the engineering design process and may have a pre-determined purpose, such as rolling a marble into a cup from a distance, or let students decide the purposes.

Author:
Janet Yowell
Michael J. Bendewald
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Designing a Spectroscopy Mission
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Students find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, student teams design and build their own spectrographs, researching and designing a ground- or space-based mission using their creation. At project end, teams present their findings to the class, as if they were making an engineering conference presentation. Student must have completed the associated Building a Fancy Spectrograph activity before attempting this activity.

Author:
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP),
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder
Designing a Thermostat
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Students investigate circuits and their components by building a basic thermostat. They learn why key parts are necessary for the circuit to function, and alter the circuit to optimize the thermostat temperature range. They also gain an awareness of how electrical engineers design circuits for the countless electronic products in our world.

Author:
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Integrated Teaching and Learning Program,
Denise W. Carlson
Lauren Cooper
Tyler Maline