Shapes of Strength
Posted on August 18th, 2016 by Mary Lord
Students in grades 3 to 5 use engineering problem solving to create structures from paper, straws, tape, and paper clips that can support the weight of at least one textbook. For the second trial, they examine examples of successful buildings in history and try again.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Shapes of Strength
Tags: building, construction engineering, Design, History, learning from failure, materials, parthenon, pyramids, shapes, skyscraper, STEAM, strength, Structural Engineering, Taipei 101
Infusing engineering throughout the elementary school day and a tour of TeachEngineering’s free library of teacher-tested engineering activities are just two of the presentations ASEE’s experienced educators will be making at NSTA’s annual STEM Forum in Denver July 27 to 29. It’s all part of ASEE’s Year of Action on P-12 Engineering Education. 
Mission to Mars, CubeSats, and Polymers for the Planet are among the hands-on engineering units developed by 4th to 8th grade science teachers in a unique partnership between the Boeing Company and the Teaching Channel.
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. 
In this activity, upper elementary students working alone or in pairs learn about electrical circuits and the design process by dismantling a “singing” greeting card and using the parts to build an alarm system.
The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest invites children 15 and under from around the world to share ideas about the future of mobility by drawing their dream cars. Participants can win great prizes and have the opportunity to tour a Toyota factory and visit Japan for an award ceremony.
In this activity, students in grades 3 to 12 learn how design differences can affect the success of a final product by working in pairs to evaluate, design, and build a better candy bag. They must predict the volume and strength of their designs, test and redesign the bag based on its ability to hold weight, discuss findings, and share results.
While solar-powered cars have yet to cruise much beyond design competitions, Swiss engineer André Borschberg swooped across the Pacific and into the record books when his solar-powered plane landed in Hawaii on July 3, 205 – five days after taking off from Japan.
In this activity for middle school science, high school physics, or engineering, groups of students explore the housing crisis caused by natural disasters by applying appropriate technology and fluid mechanics to design sustainable shelters that can withstand flooding and high winds.
