Complexity Rules
Posted on April 26th, 2010 by Jaimie Schock
Rube Goldberg was an engineer-turned-Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist who specialized in whimsical drawings of complicated machines designed to perform the simplest of tasks. For 23 years, the Rube Goldberg Machine contest at Purdue University has inspired high school and college teams to construct working models of the wacky machines. This year’s winner? Thorp High School in Wisconsin.
Filed under: K-12 Education News | 1 Comment »
Tags: Contest, Mechanical engineering
A woman and a Latina, Alba Colon is a leader of a new generation of engineers in a sport — auto racing — long dominated by white men. After a few years in data acquisition, Colon entered racing management, becoming GM Racing’s Chevrolet program manager in 2001 — the only top-ranking female engineer in NASCAR and a key point of contact between drivers, owners, and crew chiefs.
What’s the best way to fix America’s education system? Conservatives push voucher programs and charter schools. Liberals want to fix schools with more money and reduced class sizes. But columnist Steve Chapman says research shows that neither side has the right answers.
A number of teachers think engineering helps boost K-12 math and science learning and stimulates student interest. If a congressional panel gets its way, soon there may be real data to back up the theory.
Legacy, Partners in Environmental Education, is sponsoring its annual Environmental Calendar Contest. Alabama students, grades K-6, are encouraged to submit a drawing concerning an environmental issue such as recycling, ozone, water conservation, wildlife, forestry, and energy conservation. Application deadline: April 30, 2010. Prizes: One $50 prize, and 12 $25 prizes, with the 13 selected drawings featured in the Legacy calendar.
What happens to garbage? In this lesson, students grades 9-12 derive the answer by building their own landfill. While observing how household waste can leach into soil and groundwater, they also learn the importance of well supervised, sanitary disposal sites.
This 
Legacy Summer Teacher Institute in Birmingham, July 18-23, 2010, is for Alabama teachers interested in learning about environmental topics and issues such as pollution prevention, ecology, waste management, and natural resources. Teachers participate in hands-on activities, presentations by classroom teachers, field trips, and content presentations by environmental experts. All expenses, include housing, meals, and materials paid. Application deadline: not posted, but early application encouraged. No new information for 2011.
