NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge invites U.S. students in grades 6 to 12 to submit ideas for experiments to be launched on high-altitude research balloons. Some 60 winning teams will receive $1,500 to build their experiments plus an assigned berth for their payloads on a NASA balloon flight.

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Filed under: Competitions and Contests, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features | Comments Off on NASA TechRise Student Challenge

Tags: Aerospace, atmostpheric research, Competitions for Students, Contest, Engineering Design, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, high-altitude balloon, Information in Spanish, NASA, NASA TechRise Student Challenge, Pollution, space exploration

Teams of students in grades 7 to 9 follow the engineering design process to create, construct, test, and improve model solar sails made of aluminum foil to move cardboard tube satellites through “space” on a string. During the process, they learn about Newton’s laws of motion and the transfer of energy from wave energy to mechanical energy. 

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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 Solar Sails: The Future of Space Travel

Tags: Aerospace, Class Activities, Design, energy transfer, Engineering Design Process, forces and motion, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, Newton, Newton's Laws, NGSS aligned activity, solar sails, space exploration, spacecraft, teachengineering

The Congressional App Challenge works to inspire middle and high school students in congressional districts across the country through hands-on practice with coding and computer science. Registration launches on June 24, but students can pre-register now. Deadline to submit apps: Nov. 1, 2021.

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Congressional App Challenge 2021

Tags: coding, Competitions for Students, Computer Science, Congressional app challenge 2021, Contest, electrical and computer engineering, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, STEM education, Web Resources

Students in grades 7 to 9 explore mathematical algorithms and geometric concepts to devise possible solutions to how a robotic vacuum should move to best clean a floor of unknown shape and dimensions. They brainstorm, analyze, and present the best of the generated ideas before being introduced to an elegant solution that involves a random number generator determining which direction the robot will take when it hits a barrier. Note: Activity uses LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robot and software.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12 | Comments Off on Clean the Floor Using A Robot

Tags: Class Activities, computer program, floor cleaning robots, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, LEGO Mindstorms, random number generator, Robotics, roomba, teachengineering

Broadway tech, robotics, and racecar engineering are among dozens of engaging, interactive sessions being presented at Awesome Girls: National Girl Scout STEM Festival, a free virtual showcase for K-12 girls – including non-Girl Scouts – and their families. Register by April 9 for the Saturday, April 17 event.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features | Comments Off on Awesome Girls: Girl Scout STEM Festival

Tags: AT&T, Awesome Girls: National Girl Scout STEM Festival, Broadway STEM, Class Activities, Competitions for Students, Education Policy, Events, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, hands-on activities, STEM education

Join engineering educator Barbara Oakley, creator of “Learning How to Learn,” the world’s most popular MOOC, for an ASEE master class on using brain-science insights to create a practical guide for instructors of all levels. January 6-8, 2021, 1 to 4 p.m. Eastern. Register HERE.

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Filed under: For Teachers, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features | Comments Off on ASEE Master Class on Effective Teaching

Tags: ASEE Master Class on Effective STEM Teaching, Barbara Oakley, Curriculum, Events, Grades 9-12, Professional Development, Programs for Teachers, Research on Learning, STEM education, Teacher Training

To support parents everywhere and provide access to hands-on STEM activities, the American Society for Engineering Education’s P-12 Commission is offering online summer camps for students in grades K-8. Check out these and other virtual summer STEM programs!

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on ASEE Virtual STEM Summer Camp

Tags: ASEE P-12 Commission, California Science Center, Class Activities, Engineering Design, Events, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Internet Resources, NC State The Engineering Place, Stanford University Math Camp, STEM education, Summer Camps & Programs (Students), virtual summer STEM camps 2020, Web Resources, Worcester Polytechnic Institute summer camps

High school students explore the many ways that engineers provide natural lighting to interior spaces by analyzing various methods of daylighting and then constructing model houses from foam core board based on their observations and calculations of the optimal use of available “sunlight.”
Hart Building atrium photo by the Architect of the Capitol

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Daylighting Design

Tags: architectural engineering, Architecture, Class Activities, daylighting, energy conservation, Engineering Design Process, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, lighting engineering, Solar Energy, solstice, windows

High school students analyze an assortment of popular inventions to determine their intended beneficiaries as well as who has access to, might be harmed by, and is profiting from them. They then develop and apply class standards for ethical design to re-imagine the devices in a way that would do more good for humanity.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo of VeriScan facial recognition tablet at Dulles International airport by Glenn Fawcett

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Engineering Ethics: Evaluating Popular Inventions

Tags: Class Activities, design constraints, Drones, engineering ethics, genetic engineering, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, National Society of Professional Engineers, Presentations