Tired of plastic action toys? In eCybermission, an Internet-based science fair, students in grades 6 to 9 can play real super-spy detectives. Entries are due February 22, 2017.

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Filed under: Competitions and Contests, K-12 Outreach Programs | 2 Comments »

Tags: AEOP, Alternative Energy, Competitions for Students, Contest, Cybersecurity, eCybermission 2016, Grades 6-8, national security, NGSS, STEM education, Web Resources

Register by April 1, 2016 for Washington State University’s problem-solving competition that puts high school teams through a dozen different challenges, with up to $100,000 in cash prizes.

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Tags: Alternative Energy, Competitions for Students, Contest, Design, Grades 9-12, Grand Challenges, Imagine Tomorrow, Washington State University

From weather patterns and food supplies to society’s daily electricity needs, energy drives everything. The U.S. Department of Energy’s new energy literacy video series highlights the seven principles that demonstrate energy’s role across the natural and social sciences, and is part of a broader set of education resources, lessons, and activities maintained by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

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Tags: Alternative Energy, Class Activities, Energy, Environmental science, Internet Resources, Sustainability, U.S. Department of Energy, Web Resources

High school students working in teams of four learn how a device made with dye from berries can be used to convert light energy into electrical energy by building their own organic solar cells and measuring performance based on power output.

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Tags: Alternative Energy, berry, Chemical Engineering, Class Activities, curcuits, electrical circuits, Electrical Engineering, electricity, Grades 9-12, materials, organic, Solar Energy, Sustainability

Share a ride. Plant a tree. There are lots of ways individuals can have a positive impact on the planet. Earth Day 2014’s theme is Green Cities. Since buildings worldwide are responsible for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the carbon footprint of schools, homes, and offices can pay huge dividends.

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Tags: Alternative Energy, Earth Day 2014, Environmental Engineering, environmental protection, green cities, Internet Resources, Resources for Teachers, STEM education, Sustainability, tree, Web Resources

One day, we may be lugging our own personal wind turbines. International design company frog has unsheathed an umbrella-size, portable wind turbine called Revolver that can generate enough juice from a faint breeze to power a laptop, small light, or radio, or recharge a cellphone or other small electronic gadget.

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Tags: Alternative Energy, Braun, Design, Sustainability, Technology, Wind Energy, wind power

In this activity, students in grades 9-11 learn how engineers harness the energy of the wind by following the engineering design process to create and test two prototype wind turbines to see which works best. They also learn about where to place a wind turbine for maximum effectiveness, and to weigh the advantages and disadvantages compared with other energy sources.

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Tags: Alternative Energy, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, efficiency, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Grades 9-12, Green Technology, kinetic energy, Lesson Plan, Mechanical engineering, renewable energy, STEM education, Sustainability, turbine, wind power

This annual Spirit of Innovation Challenge from the Conrad Foundation invites high school student teams to use STEM skills to develop the products of tomorrow. Along the way, coaches, world-renowned scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs act as mentors to help turn their ideas into a reality.

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Tags: Aerospace, Aerospace Engineering, Alternative Energy, Competitions for Students, Contest, Contests, Energy, Essay Competition, Essay Contest, food processing, Food safety, food-safety engineering, Green Technology, Health, Science Contest

In this activity, student teams in grades 9 to 12 design and build a one-bedroom model house within design constraints that uses passive solar heating techniques to heat the house and sustain that temperature as long as possible.

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Filed under: Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »

Tags: Alternative Energy, Architecture, home design, model house, passive solar, Solar Energy, Solar Engineering, solar heat, temperature