Activity: Build an Earthquake-proof Structure
Posted on November 8th, 2010 by ASEE
Students in grades 6-12 are challenged to build a drinking straw tower that can withstand simulated earthquake vibrations and increasing weight and pressure. Doing so, they learn basic principles of design and earthquake engineering while practicing team skills.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 8 Comments »
Tags: Building Design, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, Engineering Design Process, Lesson Plans, Safety engineering
Students at Sadler Arts Academy in Muskogee, Okla., can’t get enough of Leonardo da Vinci. The quintessential Renaissance artist, engineer, and inventor is the subject of a semester-long extra-curricular activity for gifted and talented classes that are studying – and channeling – his life and notebooks.
The U.S. Army has announced that registration is now open for the eCYBERMISSION STEM competition. Students in grades six through nine must utilize innovation, creativity, and interest in STEM education in the free, web-based contest. Students on winning teams can get up to $8,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds. Registration for teams closes December 17, 2010.
It doesn’t take a genius — or a lot of money — to attract students to engineering and keep them coming, says Amir Abo-Shaeer, a 2010 MacArthur “genius” Award winner from California. But this energetic engineering teacher has plenty of valuable advice for K-12 STEM educators.
Once a week, 11-year-olds at Ashmount Primary School in North London settle in front of computers and put on headsets. A few minutes later, they’re connected online to math teachers thousands of miles away in the Indian state of Punjab. Ashmount is one of three British state schools that outsource part of their teaching to India through BrightSpark Education.
Argonne National Laboratory will sponsor 12 Chicago-area high schools in a Rube Goldberg machine contest to be held at the Chicago Children’s Museum on Friday, Feb. 25, 2011. The 2010 task is to build a complicated machine that takes at least 20 steps to water a plant. Sign-up soon to be one of the 12 participating high schools. Information packets mailed out in November.
The Homeschool Science Program (HSP) presents free materials science workshops, at the Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY, on select Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m. November 2010 through March 2011 for children ages 6-13 and their adult guardians. The workshops are hands-on and encourage students to explore how materials interact with each other. Upcoming workshops: November 9, 2010, Bridge Building; December 14, 2010, Sounds of Science. Sign up early to secure a space.
The Cornell Science Sampler Series (CSSS), takes place Sat., Nov. 6, at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, offering elementary and middle school teachers several free professional development workshops. The CSSS is a collaboration between several of the outreach offices of Cornell’s research centers and departments to provide teacher professional development in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. 
eGFI has come out with packs of 16 colorful cards explaining the engineering disciplines, complete with a teacher guide with ways to use them in classrooms. We think you can come up with even more great ideas. Best one wins a $50 Amazon Gift Card. The contest is OVER, and the winner has been posted (see inside)!
