It towered for centuries over Teotihuacán, the largest city in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Today, Mexico’s famed Pyramid of the Sun risks slowly sinking and crumbling like a sand castle.

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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Hidden Weakness

Tags: construction, pyramid, sand, Structural Engineering, Tiotihuacan, UNESCO World Heritage Site

In this NGSS-aligned activity, 2nd graders draw on their knowledge of Earth science to follow the engineering design process and investigate solutions for protecting sandcastles from wind and water damage. They make hypotheses, measure and record changes, and support their results using evidence. Suitable for students in grades 1-3.

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Tags: construction, data, Earth Science, Engineering Design, erosion, materials, measurement, NGSS, sandcastle construction, sandcastle engineering, structural and civil engineering

Their work may be invisible when you visit America’s 758 wilderness areas, but engineers have played a key role in preserving and improving access to the country’s most pristine spots, including “road kill apps” and critter crossings to measure and reduce collisions between people and wildlife.

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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Wilderness Engineers

Tags: campground, construction, engineers, Environmental Engineering, National Park Service, nature, roads, U.S. Forest Service, UC Davis Road Ecology Center, wilderness, wildlife

The National Park Service just turned 100 and what better way to celebrate than with the grand opening of a stunning new addition to the National Mall. The $540 million National Museum of African American History and Culture is adorned with a corona, or scrim, of 3,600 bronze-colored cast-aluminum panels that glow at night from the light within, and was built around a 77-ton, 80-foot-long railway car and other huge artifacts housed in its vast below-ground exhibit space.

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Filed under: K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features | Comments Off on American Roots

Tags: Civil Engineering, construction, History, National Mall, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Park Service, Smithsonian

As host of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Brazil has had to tap engineering expertise for everything from stadium construction to pollution control to security systems in order to receive an estimated 15,000 athletes and half a million foreign visitors. Despite the country’s economic woes, zika virus concerns, and construction delays, the games will go on… though probably not without some hitches.

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Tags: 2016 Summer Olympics, Brazil, construction, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Guanabara Bay, Pollution, sailing, security, sensor, Simera, stadium

When California’s Golden Gate Bridge opened on May 27, 1937, more than 200,000 people strolled or roller-skated across its 4,200-foot causeway. The graceful span quickly became one of America’s most iconic landmarks – including for its safety features and other engineering feats.

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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Happy Birthday, Golden Gate Bridge

Tags: Civil Engineering, construction, engineering history, Golden Gate Bridge, Suspension bridge

The world’s most visited man-made monument turned 125 this year. Built for the Paris World’s Fair of 1889, French engineer Gustave Eiffel’s famous tower attracted scorn before it opened. But its role as a research lab for weather, aviation, and telecommunications helped ensure its longevity.

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Tags: Civil Engineering, construction, Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel, Structural Engineering, tower

Students in grades 2 to 4 learn about wildlife habitats, environmental engineering, and the complexities of nest construction by attempting to design and build a nest themselves.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Think Like a Bird!

Tags: Biology, birds, Class Activities, construction, Design, ecology, Environmental Engineering, Grades K-5, Great Sand Dunes National Park, habitat, Lesson Plan, material properties, National Park Service, nest, wilderness, wildlife

Students learn about the importance of using the right materials for the job by building three different sand castles and testing them for strength and resistance to weathering. They then discuss how the buildings are different and what engineers need to think about when using rocks, soils, and minerals for construction.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »

Tags: Civil Engineering, construction, Engineering Design, Materials Engineering, Problem Solving, sand castles, soil