Measuring Water Quality to Assess Human Impact
Posted on February 23rd, 2019 by Mary Lord
Middle school students explore how fertilizers and other solids affect water quality by building and using sensors to measure the electrical conductivity of water samples. They then create data tables and investigate possible sources of pollutants using digital visualization tools.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Measuring Water Quality to Assess Human Impact
Tags: arduino, Class Activities, data analysis, electrical circuits, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Excel, Grades 6-8, HackingSTEM Microsoft, hydrology, Lesson Plan, Pollution, sensors, water quality
Students in grades 3 to 5 learn about their heart rate and different ways it can be measured by constructing and using a simple device to measure their heart rate under different circumstances, such as sitting, standing, and jumping. They make predictions and record data on a worksheet.
In this activity, teams of students in grades 6 to 8 will learn about the engineering design process and how a one-way valve works by creating heart valves from tape, plastic tubing, and other materials. 
In this NGSS-aligned activity, high school students work as biomedical engineers to find liquid solutions that can clear away polyvinyl acetate polymer “blood clots” in model arteries made of clear, flexible tubing. Teams create samples of the “blood clot” polymer to discover the concentration of the model clot and then test a variety of liquids to determine which most effectively breaks it down. Students learn the importance of the testing phase in the engineering design process, because they are only given one chance to present the team’s solution and apply it to the model blood clot.
Middle school students address misconceptions and learn about thermal energy transfer while investigating the insulating properties of various materials. They then follow the engineering design process to create, test, and redesign a structure (igloo) to keep an ice cube (penguin) from melting. 
Middle and high school students learn about the importance of the polar regions by connecting with scientists and the data generated by their cutting-edge research on penguins and ocean environments.
Students in grades 6 to 12 learn simple circuitry by creating light-up paper cards using only copper tape, a coin cell battery, a light-emitting diode (LED), and small electronic components. An artistic way to teach the basics of how circuits function—no soldering required! 
Middle school students act as Mars exploratory rover engineers. They evaluate equipment options, determine what parts fit in a NASA-provided budget, and, given a parts list, use these constraints to design, build, and display their edible rover at a concluding design review. Includes link to high-school version of this activity.
Middle school students learn about mineral properties and calculate the costs, benefits, and densities in this engineering-driven earth science unit based on the real-world design challenge of salvaging cargo following a train derailment. Students also will strengthen communication skills by creating a presentation to explain their process and justify their decisions to a “client.” 
