Preventing Potholes
Acting as civil engineers, students in grades 9-12 research how to best use piezoelectric materials to detect road damage, setting up model roads, creating their own experiment procedures, and analyzing voltage changes caused by the vibrations of simulated vehicles. They then write up their research and conclusions as if presenting evidence to federal transportation officials about how piezo elements can be used to indicate road damage and help determine when roads need maintenance.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Preventing Potholes
Tags: asphalt, highway construction, NGSS aligned activity, pavement, piezoelectric materials, pothole repair, road repair, Sparkfun, TeachEngineering activity, transportation engineering, Vernier
Students in grades 5 to 7 learn about how muscles work and follow the engineering design process to create their own biomedical device to aid in the recovery of a strained bicep. They discover the importance of rest to muscle recovery and that muscles (just like engineers!) work together to achieve a common goal.
Students in grades 7 to 9 explore mathematical algorithms and geometric concepts to devise possible solutions to how a robotic vacuum should move to best clean a floor of unknown shape and dimensions. They brainstorm, analyze, and present the best of the generated ideas before being introduced to an elegant solution that involves a random number generator determining which direction the robot will take when it hits a barrier. Note: Activity uses LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robot and software. 
Broadway tech, robotics, and racecar engineering are among dozens of engaging, interactive sessions being presented at Awesome Girls: National Girl Scout STEM Festival, a free virtual showcase for K-12 girls – including non-Girl Scouts – and their families. Register by April 9 for the Saturday, April 17 event. 
Students in grades 6-8 use their knowledge about how healthy heart valves function to design, construct, and implant prototype replacement mitral valves for hypothetical patients’ hearts. In the process, they discover the pros and cons of different types of artificial heart valves based on materials, surgery requirements, and lifespan.
Like NASA engineering teams, students learn about and then follow the steps of the engineering design process to design and build original model devices to help astronauts eat in a microgravity environment—their own creative devices for food storage and meal preparation. 
To support parents everywhere and provide access to hands-on STEM activities, the American Society for Engineering Education’s P-12 Commission is offering online summer camps for students in grades K-8. Check out these and other virtual summer STEM programs!
High school students explore the many ways that engineers provide natural lighting to interior spaces by analyzing various methods of daylighting and then constructing model houses from foam core board based on their observations and calculations of the optimal use of available “sunlight.”
In this open-ended design activity, students in grades 3 to 5 use everyday materials such as water bottles and straws to build small-scale transportation devices that incorporate two simple machines: a wheel and axle, and a lever. They race their vehicles, measuring distance, time and weight; and then calculate speed. 
