Window On Our World
Posted on December 29th, 2020 by Mary Lord
Built for engineering and science discovery, the International Space Station’s cupola also delivers awe and inspiration. Get a glimpse of the engineering behind this iconic addition to the ISS along with classroom activities and resource links as we celebrate 20 years of human habitation in space.
Filed under: Lesson Plans, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Window On Our World
Tags: 20th anniverary of humans in space, Aerospace Engineering, astronauts, cupola, Deborah Lee Rose, Engineering, Engineering Design, International Space Station, NASA, Space
A pair of air disasters exposes engineering mistakes and catalyzes real-world lessons for future professionals.
Middle school students learn the concept of dead reckoning by using vectors to plot a course based on a time and speed, then correct their positions with vectors representing winds and currents. Includes a link to related activities on navigation and creating nautical charts.
How do you build the world’s fastest human-powered submarine? A team of CalPoly engineering students sought inspiration in nature – with the goal of besting the competition at the 2019 international submarine race.
Growing up in St. Paul, Minn., Abigail Harrison dreamed of becoming the first woman to land on Mars. Unlike most aspiring space explorers, however, she pursued her passion. Now 21, Astronaut Abby – the social media presence she created at age 14 to do research for a history project on the International Space Station – has become an influential advocate for STEM education through her speeches, blog, and Twitter posts. 
If you were an engineer or scientist, what would you wear to work? That’s the fascinating focus of Scientists Get Dressed, a new STEM-themed children’s book by award-winning author Deborah Lee Rose. The book, available this fall, includes an NGSS-aligned STEM activity called the Scientists’ Glove Challenge. 
Middle school students act as Mars exploratory rover engineers. They evaluate equipment options, determine what parts fit in a NASA-provided budget, and, given a parts list, use these constraints to design, build, and display their edible rover at a concluding design review. Includes link to high-school version of this activity.
Join Texas A&M and the American Society for Engineering Education June 19-23 for an immersive residential workshop designed to help you integrate the “E” into your STEM classes using flying machines. Register today!
Working with students from the University of Maryland and Brigham Young University, NASA engineers have created a free, alternative-reality game called DUST designed to get teens – particularly young women and minorities – interested in STEM. The challenge: Figure out how to save their parents after meteorites drop a mysterious dust that knocks out adults worldwide.
