In this activity, students in grades 7 to 9 explore material properties as they relate to motion detection, and use that knowledge to make design decisions about what types of motion detectors to use in specific applications, such as conserving energy in commercial buildings.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12 | Comments Off on Beat the Motion Sensor

Tags: absorption, architectural engineering, building, Clarence L. Elder, Design, Doppler effect, Electrical Engineering, Energy, Energy and Environmental Technology, energy conservation, lighting, material properties, materials, motion, motion detectors, reflection, sensor, sound wave, visible light

Shell Eco-marathon is a global challenge that motivates students to drive farther than their peers on one gallon of fuel. Student teams participate in one or both of the Prototype and UrbanConcept classes. The Prototype class invites student teams to enter futuristic streamlined vehicles focused on maximizing fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction.

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Filed under: Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Contest: Shell Eco-marathon

Tags: car, Cars, college completion, Competition, Competitions for Students, Contest, Contests, Corporations, Energy and Environmental Technology, Environmental Engineering, Green, Green Technology, STEM competition

Sustainability is the theme of this year’s Mathematics Awareness Month. Teachers will find plenty of activities, contests, and other free educational resources that link math with environmental applications, including the Energy Challenge, which teaches students the mathematics of their school’s energy use and then has them develop and implement an action plan to reduce energy consumption.

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Filed under: For Teachers, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Sustainability Counts! Math Awareness Month

Tags: applications, Class Activities, Energy, Energy and Environmental Technology, Environmental Engineering, Internet Resources, Math, Mathematics, Mathematics Awareness Month, Sustainability Counts, Teacher Resources, Web Resources

Here’s a quick, fun video guide to environmental engineering produced by Channel One News. It explores the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the museum’s signature fully planted roof. It also explains the engineering behind the temperature control system in the four-story interior rain forest and includes an interview with an environmental engineer and advice on how to prepare for a career like his.

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Video Tour: The Ultimate ‘Green’ Building

Tags: Energy and Environmental Technology, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Green, green roof, Green Technology, Resources for Teachers, Videos

On a hike through the Catskill Mountains in New York, Aidan Dwyer, a seventh-grader, noticed that the branches of oak trees seemed to follow a pattern. Inspired, he created a tree-like arrangement of small solar panels capable of generating 20-50% more energy than a traditional flat designs.

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Filed under: K-12 Education News | Comments Off on Student Invents Solar Tree

Tags: Energy, Energy and Environmental Technology, Green, Green Technology, Ideas & Inventions, Research, Solar Energy, Solar Engineering, student invention, Student research, Technology

The Environmental Protection Agency has a collection of materials that can be used to teach environmental topics like conservation, human health, stewardship, waste & recycling, and water. The EPA also offers publications, awards and grants, workshops, conferences, student scholarships, community service projects, and a club for kids.

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Filed under: Web Resources | Comments Off on EPA Teacher Resources

Tags: Climate, Climate Change, Conferences and Meetings, Energy and Environmental Technology, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental science, Green, Green Technology, Internet Resources, Resources for Teachers, scholarships, Superfund, Teacher Resources, Teaching Aids, Web Resources, Workshops

Student teams in grades 9-11 gain a better understanding of heat transfer and engineering by designing and building solar water-heating devices that mimic those used in residences. Once the model devices are constructed, students perform efficiency calculations and compare designs.

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lesson: Solar Water Heater

Tags: Energy and Environmental Technology, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Grades 9-12, Green, Green Technology, Lesson Plans, Solar Energy, Solar Engineering

Purdue University’s “Innovation 2 Reality” (I2R) features three FREE 5-week after-school programs for 6th-8th grade students in Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 focused on the themes: Engineering and Our Changing Climate (Oct. 17 – Nov. 10), Edible Engineering (Jan. 13 – Feb. 10), and The Energy Game (Feb. 8-March 8 ) The programs offer a combination of faculty guest speakers, lab tours and hands-on engineering activities.

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on After School Engineering, Purdue U., Fall 2010 – Spring 2011

Tags: After School, Agricultural Engineering, Climate Change, Energy, Energy and Environmental Technology, Food Industry, Grades 6-8

The latest X-Prize Foundation multimillion-dollar engineering and invention contest will tackle the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, with entrants proposing solutions to shorelines and open water sullied by oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which has been gushing since April 20, 2010.

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Filed under: K-12 Education News | 1 Comment »

Tags: Competition, Competitions for Students, Competitions for Teachers, Energy and Environmental Technology, Environmental Engineering, Organizations, Science Contest