Posted on February 21st, 2014 by Mary Lord
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
Posted on January 20th, 2014 by Mary Lord
Teams of students in grades 3 to 8 learn about friction, forces, and the engineering design process by building and testing miniature bobsleds to see which can race down an icy slope either the fastest or slowest.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Build a Bobsled Racer
Tags: Aerodynamics, Bobsled, Boston Museum of Science, Energy, Engineering Design Process, friction, glide, kinetic energy, Olympics
Posted on April 16th, 2013 by Mary Lord
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
Posted on November 6th, 2011 by Jaimie Schock
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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Filed under: Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Contest: Spirit of Innovation Challenge
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
Posted on October 16th, 2011 by ASEE
Despite the anxiety triggered by last spring’s nuclear disaster in Japan, nuclear power is still a key part of this country’s energy mix. Industry and universities are enlisting help from teachers in preparing the next generation of nuclear engineers and technicians.
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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Feature: Nuclear Energizes Teachers
Tags: Electrical, Electrical Engineering, Energy, Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Science, Programs for Teachers, Teacher Training, Teacher Workshops, Teachers, Workshops
Posted on October 16th, 2011 by Mary Lord
In this activity, students in grades 5 – 11 will use M&Ms to learn about radioactivity, the rate at which an isotope decays, and the concept of half-life. They will count and record the number of decayed “atoms” and graph the results.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Activity: Atomic Candy
Tags: Energy, half life, M&Ms, nuclear energy, Nuclear Engineering, radioactive decay, radioactivity
Posted on August 28th, 2011 by Jaimie Schock
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
Posted on July 31st, 2011 by Mary Lord
In this lesson, students in grades 3 – 12 will explore the engineering design process by building a device that can launch a ping-pong ball high enough for them to catch it.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »
Tags: baseball, Design Squad, Energy, Engineering Design, force, levers, motion, NGSS aligned, Physics, simple machines
Posted on June 19th, 2011 by Mary Lord
An ethanol-powered electric vehicle that can travel the equivalent of 81.9 miles per gallon clinched the EcoCAR Challenge for a team of Virginia Tech engineering students. They beat 15 other student teams in the three-year competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors, to design a more fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly car with the same consumer appeal and safety as today’s models.
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Filed under: K-12 Education News | 1 Comment »
Tags: Alternative Fuels, car, Competitions for Students, Contest, Energy, Environmental Engineering, General Motors, U.S. Department of Energy, Virginia Tech